Noah & the Biltmore - Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Before I get to the show itself, a little side note. I think I just found Vancouver’s answer to Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. This might not seem like too big of a deal to most, but as a live music fan who grew up in Toronto, the Horseshoe Tavern has had some pretty major people play (at all points in their careers) since it first opened its doors in 1947 according to their Website. It is known as a great venue for great music. Full stop. Since moving to Vancouver in 2002, I had thought the Commodore Ballroom was the ‘shoe’s Vancouver counterpart. It seemed logical except the Commodore has a second level, a big open dance floor, padded booth seating off two sides of the massive dance floor, and a capacity of upwards of 1000 people. In short, it is nothing like the ‘shoe. Enter the Biltmore Cabaret.

Located near 12th and Kingsway, but on the ass end of the HoJo. Smallish stage – more like a shoebox with the front panel removed. Check. Capacity: a few hundred. Check. The band so close you could be the designated towel supply person. Check. Intimate atmosphere and a great sound system. Check and check. Hello Biltmore, glad to have made your acquaintance.

If my Google Map had not led me astray (in all fairness, I might have misread), I would have caught more of the opening band, called Bahamas. By the time I arrived and had scoped out a spot from which I could actually see musicians from my formidable 5’2” (158 cm) height, there were maybe only 5 songs left. I don’t know where they were from but they weren’t local. Canucks were acknowledged, laundromats had apparently been visited and dude said Vancouver was their only Canadian date. The young woman’s vocals were set up so she sounded like a two-or-three-person backing vocals team. Dude singing and playing the guitar was decent enough, but call me cynical, I have a feeling he gets by quite a bit on his looks. Whatever. They were passable.

Noah & the Whale. Can I just begin by saying I had no idea how young they were? Or maybe I actually am old enough at this point to be their mother. Drummer boy for sure – he looked about 15. I hope he was legally allowed to be in a licensed establishment.

I read somewhere that their sound is described as “indie folk rock”, which might just be something to pigeon-hole them into. I don’t know about ‘Indie’, they are signed to Mercury Records, so the ‘indie’ label has more to do with the fact they don’t sound like 80% of the drivel that gets played on popular radio, so although the music is radio-friendly, it’s not consumed by the masses (poor masses). ‘Folk’ must come from the fact that they have a violin player and the main singer’s voice sounds even and effortless. Oh, and the first CD I have by them Peaceful the World lays me down has a woman’s voice harmonising quite a bit. ‘Rock’, for sure. Their sound was almost bigger than the Biltmore could hold (I really hope to see them in a slightly bigger venue next time, but also hope the atmosphere, that crucial intimacy, gets maintained).

Their fashion sense was rare: if not dress shirt, suit and tie (including waistcoat), then dress shirt and suit jacket. Their dry cleaning bill must be stupid, but they looked as well put together as their songs are. When they slow things down, they slow it waaaay down, and then right back up to bopping and rocking.

From Peaceful the World lays me down, the setlist included Give a little Love, Rocks and Daggers, 5 Years' time (shortly before the end) and I’m not sure about 2 Atoms in a Molecule and Peaceful the World lays me down – they’re both maybes.From the CD Last Night on Earth we heard Paradise Stars (this song started the show in darkness giving the band time to walk on and get sorted), Life is Life, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (the very last song of the night), Tonight’s the Kind of Night, Wild Thing, Give it all back, Just me before we met, Waiting for my Chance to come, the Line, Old Joy (I think this may have been the first song of the two-song encore). And yes, for those of you keeping track, they did play the entire album they are touring in support of.

Alls in all, I had a great time. As is obvious, I am not a die-hard fan, familiar with every nuance of their performances, able to recite the names and lyrics of songs at will and knowledgeable of their names and marital statuses. Their stage presence is warm and sincere; their musicianship and performance solid. When the lights on stage went out completely for the better part of 10 seconds, they did not miss a beat. They did not let the audience wait more than 3 minutes before returning for an encore. They have fun on stage, but they do not mess about. Was my mind blown? No. Would I see them again? Absolutely. Did I listen to their music again the very next day? You betcha.