Concert Review: Surfer Blood with Wild Ones

This marks my first concert review for the blog, and, truthfully, I don't know how I feel about doing concert reviews. Frankly, I love seeing live music, and I find it difficult to say negative things about a show, regardless of actual quality. Every musician busting his or her butt on stage has my respect, because it sure isn't easy up there. That being said, I'm going to give it a try.

January 5th, 2014 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (channeling my inner Nardwuar!)

Surfer Blood with Wild Ones at Media Club

I've been to a fair number of shows at Media Club by now (Elliott Brood, Wildlife, etc), and it's definitely one of my favourite venues in Vancouver behind the Biltmore Cabaret. It's loud, it's tiny, and the beer is good. What more could you want for a rock show?

I got to the venue just as Wild Ones took to the stage. I had not heard any of their music prior to show, and they really impressed me with their blend of indie pop/rock. What really held down the groove was the fantastic drumming that mimicked a "drum machine" sound perfectly. That combined with lead singer Danielle Sullivan's gorgeous, perfect vocals made for a great sound. I can't help compare Danielle's voice to Chvrches lead singer Lauren Mayberry, except for my money Danielle's vocals are more powerful and less pitchy. Wild Ones was a lovely unexpected addition to the night.



Following that great warm up, Surfer Blood slowly got ready for their set, building anticipation in the crowd as they fiddled with the monitors for ages. After drummer Tyler bought a beer from a random chick at the side of the stage, Surfer Blood was ready to rock. And that was exactly what they did, rattling off the first quarter of the set with pratised ease. The show began to kick into a higher gear on "Floating Vibes," a personal fav of mine. However, when JP jumped into the crowd and laid down on the dirty floor of the club during "Take it Easy," the concert really got good. I loved the crowd interaction, with band members mingling in the crowd, taking gulps of beer and highfives from their fans. Their hit "Swim" prompted the audience to burst in a wild mosh of happiness, and the crowd screamed lyrics into the low ceiling above.

Just before the encore, Wild Ones iced Surfer Blood on stage which really symbolized the night for me: Surprisingly sweet!