Elle King concert review
written by Scotty Evil
Vancouver concert goers got a King’s ransom worth of a performance on Tuesday at the venerable Commodore Ballroom.
That’s not including being blown away by Barns Courtney, who held nothing back as the opener.
It’s impossible not to see the rock influence his time in Seattle imparted to him. He came onstage like a strutting Mick Jagger hopped up on a 6-pack of Buzz Cola, with ripping vocals to match. If I hadn’t known otherwise, the screaming fans honestly appeared just to be here for him and might have been satisfied.
Starting off with “Fun Never Ends” full of punk pop energy that didn’t seem to stop. The rhythm hooks and vocals were infectious as he picked up a weathered acoustic, launching into “London Girls”
The stage was big enough apparently; from whipping the audience up as he threw his arms in the air repeatedly, to elicit screams, to jumping into the crowd mic cord training behind him, security doing their best to control the situation until he eventually returned. This guy is one to watch.
Things had finally calmed down (a few girls being tended to with cold water by staff) by the time Elle King took the stage, the Brethren launching into “Last Damn Night”. The grungy blues-infused tunes resonated the most with the audience, singing along loudly. Sporting a pink flat-brimmed hat and cherubic smirk, the outlaw attitude was present early on.
Grinning from ear to ear..”I LOVE you guys!” Elle King was clearly feeding back on the crowd’s vibe. It felt like being in one of those smoky southern roadhouses and the sass and attitude were tempered by her vocals that powered through the mic.
In between the sassy, woman-empowered lyrics was a reflective side. “I’ve always been a bit of an asshole and that’s changed now” and also went on “There’s good selfishness and bad selfishness”.
That raw emotion and vulnerability was visible along with the rough facade in King’s music and live performance. One could see the women in the audience connecting with it; it was visceral.
As such, the poppy tune “Exe’s and Oh’s” appeared near the end of the set and seemed to have a different upbeat vibe. Elle King and her band returned for a one song encore with “America’s Sweetheart”. Armed with a banjo, the band surrounded her onstage for a boot-stomping bluegrass jam. The Commodore dance floor shook right until the lights went on.
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written by Scotty Evil
photos by Red Lenses Photography
