A few weeks ago while heading home after a show at the Commodore, I spotted a poster advertising Vancouver band Econoline Crush playing at Venue. That right there was enough of a draw but the $9.93 price tag sealed the deal.

We arrived at the Venue a little late and missed part of the first half of the opening act which was, all things considered, a god sent. Can’t even tell you what they were called but boy, they were not very good. The lead singer was drowned by the instruments and frankly, that’s probably not a bad thing since it didn’t really sound like he was doing much beyond yelling into the microphone.

Up next was another local act, Like a Storm. Now these guys looked like rock-stars and compared to their garage-band-we-had-too-much-to-drink predecessors, they looked like a real band.



They started off their set well bringing out a didjeridu but as soon as the guitars and singing started, it all went downhill. More incorrect levels and a bit of awkward stage presence (there were a lot of horns going up throughout the show), the band managed to exude energy – it was too bad the music just wasn’t up to par. I’m not sure what the problem was that night but the band must have been off because cruising their YouTube Channel and website, it’s clear the guys have talent (did I already mention that they’re exceptionally good looking? Yeah, that’ll help sell albums). I’ll check out their album and give them another shot.

Here's a taste of their sound. From their recently released record "The End of the Beginning," this is their first single "Chemical Infatuation"



After a very long break between sets, Econoline Crush took the stage and our first thought was… what on earth happened to Trevor Hurst? Plastic surgery much? The band had been way under my radar since the late 90s though they seem to have been releasing new material for years but the sound and energy just isn’t there anymore (or was missing this particular night).

I first saw EC at a side stage during an open door show in the mid 90s and they rocked it, drawing in a crowd from across the field to check out the action. Though the songs are the same, the band seems to have lost some of its edge and quite frankly, it’s a little scary looking at Trevor who looks younger now than he did 15 years ago. This is what it must feel like when my dad goes to see bands he remembers from his youth: they’re almost the same but not really.

We left early (like 5 songs in), partly due to the transit situation and partly due to the laughably bad show (not to mention the fact that they only played two songs from their first two albums - my faves - and a bunch of stuff I didn't recognize from their later years). If nothing else, it was entertaining to see Trevor run around the stage offering himself to the fans as some sort of rock god. I’m thinking some of the problems from the night may stem from the bad audio set-up but I’m not sure I’d want to see EC live again. I’m quite happy re-living the memories via CD thanks.

I had a better camera this time and even some help from Special K who took a few shots but Trevor was running around the stage so much all of the pictures of him are blurry. The trend continues.

A concert on a Sunday night? Might as well say I was out on a school night but alas, that's the way it goes. It's also one of the perks of being an "adult" - one bad night out a little extra late and guess what? I didn't explode or turn into a pumpkin (though I did find it a little more difficult to get out of bed this morning). There was good reason for it though. A few weeks ago I discovered that Band of Skulls was coming into town but the Saturday show sold out in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, Special K wielded her magical ticket aquiring abilities and we scored tickets to the second show which was added for Sunday night.

We started off with dinner at the Lennox Pub (the food was great) before heading to Venue, a place which is quickly becoming a great spot for seeing up-and-coming bands. The night started off with a great set from California band Saint Motel whose pop/punk tunes had me up and moving. Their set was accompanied by a video (which the band created themselves) of Vancouver "stuff" including Fin, Canucks footage, an assortment of trippy sci-fi classic movies ("Barbarella" and "Logan's Run") followed up by porn-footage which had been doodled to cover up any of the bits folks might find offensive. It was immensely amusing (mostly because everyone knew exactly what was going on) and a nice touch though really unnecessary as the guys really rocked it. I'm looking forward to checking out more of their stuff.

A Montreal group called Silver Starling took to the stage next and frankly, they may as well have had some dude pumping music from the DJ booth. It's not that they were bad but their sound really wasn't working for me and certainly didn't fit either the opening act or Band of Skulls.


Shortly after 9, the head liners took the stage and rocked out some seriously great tunes. The first time I checked out a picture of the band I remember thinking that they looked like Southern rockers and I knew little about them other than to know that they met in College. I was a little surprised when singer/guitarist Russell Marsden opened his mouth and a string of barely recognizable English, complete with an accent marking him as clearly from "across the pond", came streaming out. Shocker - another awesome Brit band. And I can't go without mentioning bassist Emma Richardson who commands the stage. That girl's got serious "don't mess with me 'cause I can kick your ass" vibes. I dig.


It was an awesome show and I'd most definitely see these guys again. And if you're curious as to what you missed, here's just a taste (they closed with this tune):