Ladyhawk
Date: March 21, 2008 Trifecta I looked at the combination of Ladyhawk, Immaculate Machine, and Videotape as a great triple bill at Zaphod's. With the bands surprisingly splitting the stage time almost equally, it was good that I had this perspective. Although I would still enjoy seeing a longer set from Ladyhawk, the full concert was a definite success. Videotape is a trio risen from the remains of the mostly-instrumental As the Poets Affirm, a group that I always enjoyed but probably did not see live as often as I should have. With Videotape, Adam Saikaley, Ryan Patterson, and Nathan Gara have taken a sharp turn towards the noisier. In fact, Saikaley worked behind two mics, switching to the second when he wanted to twist his vocals through extra distortion, rather then letting them sit behind the fuzz of the two guitars. The strongest selling point for me in the band before having seen them was Gara. I always considered his drumming to be the most consistently captivating element of a Poets show; and simplifying the instrumentation only raised the prominence of his great playing. Videotape made a very good impression on me with what was one of their earliest shows; and I hope to see them often in the future. Videotape started a bit behind the tentative schedule and their thirty-five minute set had me wondering how the rest of the night would progress before the Zaphod's curfew. Fortunately, they and Immaculate Machine hustled through a changeover that saw the latter band playing before many in the crowd had returned from getting a drink. I had seen Immaculate Machine play once before when Kathryn Calder opened for herself, in the form of the New Pornographers. Calder, Brooke Gallup, and Luke repeated the high points of that past show, with crisp sounding, hooky songs and clean vocal harmonies. The band kept a sharp pace, moving through songs such as "Dear Confessor," "Broken Ship," "Invention '77," "Nothing Ever Happens," and a cover of Final Fantasy's "This is the Dream of Win & Regine." They also found the time to relate a few tour stories to the crowd, which added to the fun mood that they produced throughout their solid set. Following the Machine was fellow B.C. band, Ladyhawk. The four-piece came out as if they had no time to waste, which was very much the case. In fact, the first couple of heavy, sprawling epics set the high water mark in a brief set that later turned to the band's less pounding material. Ladyhawk sounded excellent throughout, with Duffy Driediger's wailing vocals rising above soaring guitars and a sludgy rhythm. Coming in under forty minutes, the set lacked the usual ebb and flow of a headliner's slot; and I felt that the night would have benefited from one more heavy knockout song as a capper. Overall, though, this was a great night of music that added to my appreciation of all three acts. <--Prev (Henry Rollins) | Next (The New Pornographers)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |