Lantzville Hall, Feb 27th, 2009

Another day, another show.

This time, a line up that was so mindblowing, I couldn't even take notes.
But seriously, I locked my keys in the car and missed the first two/half bands.
So unfortunately, this time no pictures.

-fail-

The first band that played was Stokes the Mute, a rock/soul group from Nanaimo.
Although the enthusiasm was there, Stokes still has a bit of work to do in the presentation. They looked like an odd mish of several different styles and it reflected in the music.
Luckily the individual talent of each member brought enough to the table to still be entertaining.
The bassist in particular showed an intense connection to his instrument, bringing out some impressive bass lines.
As a whole, I believe with a little more co-ordination and experience, Stokes the Mute has potential and a good outlook in the island scene.

Following Stokes the Mute, were Nanaimo veterans My Broken Hero. Always a crowd favourite, MBH wowed even me with incredible growth in both performance and musicality since the last time I saw them play. The new material is smoother and incredibly engaging.
Lead singer, Dustin Dame sings with such intensity and feeling that it leaves the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.
Don't get me wrong, all of My Broken Hero play with the kind of energy and feeling most bands spend their entire career trying to grasp. It's really beautiful to watch and always enjoyable.

Coming in third, are Vancouver natives, Mass Undergoe. Bringing humour, experience and sometimes pants that are a little too tight to the table, these guys are always a delight.
This evening however, I'm not sure if it was the venue or just the atmosphere but it felt like MU wasn't at their best.
The whole set was not nearly as polished, as previous visits and the although as a band they appeared put together, the singer was sloppy and didn't come across with the same strength I've seen before.
As engaged as some fans were, there were many people standing off to the side and back who only came to life in the last half of the set with the favourites "Middle of the week forever" & "Youth Anthem".
I hope to see MU back in Nanaimo soon and hopefully they'll be out of their funk.

To close up the night, was much anticipated Victoria based band, Theset. A throwback to the Pleasant Valley days (those of you who are old enough to remember those days that is), Theset were poised to impress and certainly did not let us down.
Tristan, Martin, Elliot, Jory and Dean do an incredible job of bringing you into their world. For that 45 minutes, it is as if you are enveloped, as if nothing can touch you.
Down you go into the rabbit hole, and into a world all their own, created by each and every chord, drumbeat and bass line.
The fragile facade is held together by the fine phrases and notes, brought to life by lead singer Martin McPhail's eerie, but comforting vocals.
Theset showed off with new songs such as "Survive" which has an accompanying video now on Much Music, "Red Spider" the final song off the new album, & heartwrencher "little one" a beautiful but melancholy rock-ballad, all from the latest release, Never Odd or Even.
For the old school, Pleasant Valley kids, they brought back two hits "12:34" and the encore song, "Sunshine Dust".

Not soon to be forgotten, the 27th was a night to reminisce, but also to embrace the new, the future of the “scene”. We can only hope that we will soon see a line-up as mighty as this, gracing the Nanaimo Stage in the near future.

All's well, that end's well
-Amy Inertia