© theother press ¢ Culture

Continued from Page 17

pass may not be able to penetrate, I stop by to make
sure there is still room at the Penthouse. Yup, looks
good...onward!

10:10p.m. Sekiden @ The Royal

Imported from Brisbane, this band is obviously just as
sick as everybody else is of certain over-hyped
Australian bands that shall remain nameless (rhymes
with The Lines). Simon, the singer, announces, “Sorry
about the hype. Hope we can live up to it, unlike
some other fucking bands you may have heard of.”
And live up to it they do! The crowd is downright
giddy as the energetic trio explodes all over the stage
at The Royal. What I wouldn't give to be able to stay
for the whole set.

10:35p.m. Great Lake Swimmers @ The Sugar
Refinery

Although not technically an nmw show, I can’t resist
the opportunity to stop in and check out Toronto’s
Great Lake Swimmers. Bea-u-ti-ful, graceful, heartfelt
folk/alt country. What do you mean it’s time to leave
already? No fair.

11:00p.m. Sianspheric @ The Penthouse

Hmn, still room at The Penthouse.

Sonic Unyon’s Sianspheric play a predictably solid set
of their trademark experimental space rock. Looks
like it is still safe to skip out again.

12:00a.m. The Spitfires @ The Pic

Again, not technically affiliated with nmw, but after
Thursday's show I feel it will be worth the trip. True
to form, the energy and insanity levels appear to be
high both on and off the stage. How on earth do these
guys do this all the time? People keep bumping in to
me, and I can totally imagine myself being taken out
by a stray bottle so I think it’s time to get back to The
Penthouse.

12:35a.m. All Systems Go @ The Penthouse

I think I have seen too many bands tonight. I seem
incapable of forming an opinion (perhaps that has
more to do with the Heineken than the band,
though). Band members offer $20 American to any-
one willing to come up on stage and “straddle the pole
naked.” To be expected, some chubby drunken guy
jumps up and starts to stumble around and tug at his
shirt. When he doesn’t meet the band’s request to “see
dick,” he asks for five bucks, but reluctantly leaves the
stage empty handed. Oh yeah and they played some
songs or something too.

1:10a.m. Adam Franklin @ The Penthouse

So here he is, Adam Franklin of Swervedriver, the
place should be bursting at the seams right? So where
is everybody? The crowd has noticeably begun to thin
out, as Franklin treats us to an interesting solo electric
set. Never having been a huge Swervedriver fan
myself, I am a little lost on the nuances as the eager
fans excitedly respond to obvious Swervedriver faves.
Good show though. Can I go to sleep now?
2:15a.m. The Railway Club

Rumour has it the Railway is still serving so I make
my way over to the hallowed establishment. A large
crowd is spilling out of the big wooden door after
watching Ramblin’ Ambassadors ét al in the Mint
Records showcase. Apparently the rumours are not
true, and after one quick lap through the bar it’s back
outside—no alcohol to be had. Nobody seems in a
hurry to leave though, as the crowd continues to con-
gregate—smoking and __ visiting—half-heartedly
attempting to hail cabs. Sam Roberts is here (turns

Page 18 e http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca

out he is quite tiny,
it’s pretty disappoint-
ing), members of The
Organ and The
Spitfires are here,
apparently everybody
is’ — here. Soiaehat
explains the mystery
of the — empty
Penthouse. After
many desperate
attempts to secure
cabs, it appears that it
is time to make alter-
nate plans. Denny’s it
is.

5:00a.m. The couch
@ My sister’s apart-
ment

Try to fall asleep
knowing full well
that my niece will be waking me up in about three
hour's time. I could never be a rock star.

Sunday May 25

6:00p.m. Wrecking Crew @ The Railway Club

Part of the Outlaw Entertainment showcase, I have to
admit that Wrecking Crew isn’t really my cup of tea.
Johnny Harley leads his band of tattooed, cowboy
hat-and-sunglasses-wearing bad asses in their attempts

 

The Great Lake Swimmers

to sound like AC/DC. If AC/DC were from Calgary.
I quickly make one more trip to the bar before head-
ing off to the week’s final destination—The Flaming
Lips party at Plaza of Nations.

7:00p.m. to 10:00ish p.m. Starlight Mints,
Destroyer, Liz Phair and Modest Mouse

June 2003

 

Spitfires

Okay, so I’m getting lazy, but then I had to pay $50
to see this show as it was beyond the realm of my
media pass, so I am under no obligation to be insight-
ful here. And let’s be honest, who’s really still reading
this article at this point anyway?

All of these artists play some songs and all of them are
received well by the sizeable crowd. Starlight Mints
(who, with the exception of the drummer, look about
13 years old) are enjoyable, Dan Bejar has
cool hair and even cooler tunes, Liz Phair
wears a mini skirt and plays “Supernova”
along with a bunch of new stuff from her
upcoming album, and Modest Mouse are
predictably fun—although admittedly not
so good at the stage banter.

10:00ish p.m. The Flaming Lips @ Plaza
of Nations

Bliss. Joy. Perfection. Best live band ever
(just don’t tell the Rheostatics I said that
okay?). Continuing their tradition of being
the finest hosts in rock and roll, the Lips
have the crowd at the Plaza of Nations mes-
merized in no time flat. As confetti and
giant colourful balloons fill the air, the
Lips, flanked by their usual crazy dancers in
animal costumes, transform the venue into
a giant love in. There is fake blood, nun
puppets, giant-hand gloves, smoke
machines, seizure-inducing flashing lights,
mechanical doves, inflatable robots and a
backdrop of crazy video imagery—and that
doesn’t even begin to describe it all. Despite
the chilly weather (and the fact that the
concession stand has run out of coffee) the
mass sing-along to “Yoshimi Battles the
Pink Robots pt.1,” and the traditional sere-
nading of audience members celebrating
birthdays, leaves the shivering crowd feel-
ing warm inside. By the time they get to
their inspiring performance of “Do You
Realize??” and Wayne Coyne sings “you realize that
life goes fast/it’s hard to make the good things last,”
we all know exactly what he means.

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Photos by Angela Blattman