On Tuesday night I ended up at the Rickshaw Theatre on Main & Hastings (yes...) for my first-ever Deerhunter show. The Rickshaw, though it doesn't have the best sound, is certainly one of my favourite venues in the city. I'm not sure if it's because of the spacious dance floor, the general theatre seating, or the fact that there's a bar at the front of the stage (and they serve generous gin & tonics).
Maybe it's the Bladerunner-esque facade:
In any case, I was there for Deerhunter - a band I have only recently (as of April) come to enjoy - a latecomer of their music, for sure. I've known about them for years, for example, but what tracks I had heard in the past never inspired me to pursue them further. Then, somehow, I gave them a second listen, discovered a particular song, and then another, and then another, and then I was hooked. They create shoegaze-y, indie rock dreamscapes... like a blurry Grizzly Bear or a focused Animal Collective. You're not quite sure what they're singing about for the most part, but it doesn't matter: they create an almost mysterious nostalgia-inducing atmosphere... sometimes verging on the creepy - a perfect pre-Halloween concert for the Rickshaw (although last year's Skinny Puppy show still takes the case).
If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with Deerhunter, but if you're not, here's one of my favourite tracks:
So back to the concert. It was noisy, it was fun, but I only really knew a handful of songs - Never Stops, Fluoroscent Grey, Rainwater Cassette Exchange (which I could have sworn started off as David Bowie's "Let's Dance"), and the others didn't really capture my attention as much... but that was my problem, having only listened to their most recent album a few hours before. (Lame, yes, I know). Deerhunter songs often take me several plays before I really get into them...
... but this isn't a concert review, buy the way, but an excuse for me to post some of my more memorable photos that I took:
In any case, I was there for Deerhunter - a band I have only recently (as of April) come to enjoy - a latecomer of their music, for sure. I've known about them for years, for example, but what tracks I had heard in the past never inspired me to pursue them further. Then, somehow, I gave them a second listen, discovered a particular song, and then another, and then another, and then I was hooked. They create shoegaze-y, indie rock dreamscapes... like a blurry Grizzly Bear or a focused Animal Collective. You're not quite sure what they're singing about for the most part, but it doesn't matter: they create an almost mysterious nostalgia-inducing atmosphere... sometimes verging on the creepy - a perfect pre-Halloween concert for the Rickshaw (although last year's Skinny Puppy show still takes the case).
If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with Deerhunter, but if you're not, here's one of my favourite tracks:
So back to the concert. It was noisy, it was fun, but I only really knew a handful of songs - Never Stops, Fluoroscent Grey, Rainwater Cassette Exchange (which I could have sworn started off as David Bowie's "Let's Dance"), and the others didn't really capture my attention as much... but that was my problem, having only listened to their most recent album a few hours before. (Lame, yes, I know). Deerhunter songs often take me several plays before I really get into them...
... but this isn't a concert review, buy the way, but an excuse for me to post some of my more memorable photos that I took:
