Hard to believe a decade has come to an end, I thought about encapsulating my decade in shows and coming up with a best of, but that’s far too much work and frankly, only I’d care about that shit. So here is some shit that probably only I care about anyways but I guess that’s the point of the blog anyways.
I didn’t see a lot of shows this year, this thing called “work” really got in my way in terms of sucking all the energy out of me during the day, leaving me little reserve to go out at night. Like those famous philosophers Blink 182 used to say, “I guess this is growing up”
Still, I saw some shows, so here are my favorites from what i say
Otokobe Beaver, SXSW
What can I say that I haven’t already said in my review of their show?. Nine months later, the memory of utter chaos and explosive energy that was the show still remains fresh in my mind. Considering I don’t even remember what I ate for lunch three days ago, that’s quite the accomplishment. Luckily for me, they are playing Austin next year, so I can go see them again.
The Comet is Coming, SXSW (x2), Mod Club, Toronto
The only band I saw three times this year, The Comet is Coming makes me wonder if I’m slowly descending into a more jazzy area of my life. They aren’t really jazz, but I don’t know what they are. I just know they are fucking awesome. Here is my take on their show from Austin.
The Chromatics, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
If you were to put a gun to my head and ask me for a bucket list of still active bands I’d like to see that I’ve never seen before, the Chromatics would be at the top of my list. You could get that list without putting a gun to my head as well. I’ve been following this band for a bout a decade now, as around ten years ago, I was really obsessive about the VALERIE / French electronic music and somehow Chromatics got lumped into that group. The band has been shy about touring but continue to sometimes put out music. Their show here was great, it was amazing hearing songs I really loved live, and as you can imagine, the show’s aesthetics / light show was meticulously crafted. Considering the build up, not disappointing at all.
The Strokes, Budweiser Stage, Toronto
People like to shit on the Strokes these days, but they can’t deny that the first two albums they released were magical. Their show was a great dive into those nostalgic times in university when I was trying to tell all my friends about them and how much cooler they were then those shitty Edgefest Canadian Raine Maida-esque bands they liked. In other news, the Strokes album is almost twenty years old. So by that measure, I’m getting old.
Chai, SXSW
Chai is the Baby Yoda of the music world. Impossibly cute, but underneath it, some crazy powers. Their show was enjoyable and better yet, makes you happy.
How was your 2020?