By Janet Athanasiou
A 700-person venue that boasts it specializes in indie/alternative/punk/experimental music, the Black Cat in Washington DC hosted recently reunited Wolf Parade on October 22. The main stage of the venue is on the second floor, in a long, low ceilinged room where fans packed in to see and listen to Wolf Parade rock out in a loud, frenetic, fun concert.
Starting out with three songs from Apologies to the Queen Mary: Modern World, You are a Runner and I am My Father’s Son, and Fancy Claps, then moving into the newer material from Cry, Cry, Cry, Wolf Parade managed to play a quick 90-minute set that hit a lot of the favourites, while still showing off new material. Some highlights of the new album were You’re Dreaming, Baby Blue, Am I an Alien Here, and Weaponized. They capped off the evening with a 3 song encore of Valley Boy, This Heart’s on Fire, and Kissing the Beehive.
While some bands trade on banter and interactions with the crowd, Wolf Parade focused on the fans by playing their songs and limited exchanges. The concert was loud and the guitars were distorted, which resulted in a ringing in my ears for two days, but it was absolutely worth it!
The benefit of being an ex-pat in the States is that I can see Canadian bands in smaller venues than they would usually play at home. This was the case with Wolf Parade Sunday night. We were able to stand 10 feet from the stage, watch the band as they played and talked to each other. Again due to the loud band, large speakers, and acoustics in the room, the sound quality was not great, but the experience was a great one.
NICE!
Good morning!
Hello
Hello hello! Happy Monday, or something
Awesome! Thanks for the review Janet. I wish I had been there but your description helped me imagine that I was.
Nicely written! A thought though (cough): get yourself some Hearos (that is to say: quality earplugs), to avoid permanent ringing later on.
Thanks everyone! It was a great show, and I’m glad I got to see them!
Benoit – I ended up getting some Etymotics and used them for Japandroids on Saturday, it felt so great to come out of a concert and be able to hear!
Weather: We were supposed to get a “weather bomb” of rain and wind, and boy, have we ever! There was this very long rainy front, on a slight oblique from the Gulf of Mexico to mid-Hudson’s Bay, and when it drifted East and got to Ottawa, or a little later really, it “got barged into” by a large, wet low from the Atlantic Seabord of the US. The mess is now spiraling above us.
My rear garden, a sunken one (never infilled), has between an inch of water in front to easily 8 inches in rear. I stopped walking deeper so the water wouldn’t top my boots. And a steel bucket I keep in the laneway as a rough gauge is almost full.
But the basement is dry. And the sump pump is coming on every 20-30 seconds.
Janet: yayyyyy, that’s the ticket!
Nice review Janet! Yes I have my Etymotics on order, hoping to get them before this friday’s Arcade Fire show.
Ours will get a workout at Japandroids this Friday.
“Japandroids give earplugs a workout”
That they do!
“…people talking about the garage rock revival now…” That’s a quote out of context, from the radio (q).
Me: a) really??? b) good!
I carry my EarPeace plugs with me at all times. I had some Etymotics but I am not sure where they went.
The same person that swiped my first set probably swiped yours, too.
darbar, any preference between the two? (Outside of preferring the ones you do have, because!)
I am not sure about sound quality between the two, I would have to compare that at a show but I do find EarPeace more comfortable.
fair enough. thx!
@ Russ, No I didn’t, I erm, SQUIRREL (runs away)
Our One-Act Plays went well on the weekend. I woke up Saturday with a stupid cold though and that made my wolf howls harder to get out but I managed. And now we are just down to rehearsals for the main stage play coming up at the end of the month.
I love my hearos!
I’ve been making do for years with various pieces of foam, lately them two-colour, shaped ones. I think I hearo some better ones in my near future.
These guys are due at the Black Sheep Inn next Sunday at four. Sounds like a do-not-miss. http://www.k-bros.ca/bio/
They do sound like fun!
If only we had someone that could do a show review
@michael wynn @janet I had earplugs with me when I saw Arcade Fire but took them out part way through; the sound was neither muddy or overblown. A rare occurrence so I too take earplug to shows. I have not heard of Etymotics. Are they expensive/worht it?
@b from o oh do do a review for us!!
@darbar I am listening to Fridays playlist and enjoying it very much. I am having a few teens over here again to give out candy so I will be able to educate them on tunes thanks to you. Once they give away all the candy they get to go to a haunted house just a few blocks away. Should be good fun for all.
@Morgana – They were a little expensive, but are washable and reusable, and were great on Saturday at Japandroids.
I took one out at some point during the Japandroids set, and they were really loud, so I’m glad I had them!
@morgana – Glad to be of service. Sounds like fun Halloween times.
likin’ the new Destroyer
Me too krib. It’s on my list of albums to pick up sometime in some format.
A Creepshow song came up on the Halloween playlist reminding me they are here in Regina tonight. I am just too tired and recovering from a cold to make it there. I am still hoping on getting to Elwins/Fast Romantics tomorrow night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=1PBkkHi_yeQ
Cute Google vid. 🙂
I’m online via Sweden so I got it a little early