Nation of Language10.08.25
Vancouver, BC
We have officially made it — the last of four shows in four nights, and my final show overall in Vancouver. This was with Nation of Language at The Pearl. They have been on the scene for a few years now, and have a new record out called Dance Called Memory. They are pretty much the definitive modern day reincarnate of 80s synth-pop, echoing New Order and Depeche Mode in their sound.
Westerman opened the show, and I am familiar with him, from my discover weekly heyday a few years ago. He had a very endearing stage presence, very humble and complimentary of the beauty of Vancouver. Kinda ironic hearing someone praise Vancouver when I'm about to leave it for good.
I was really surprised at just how engaged Nation of Language were, particularly frontman Ian Devaney. He didn't stop moving the whole time, his energy never waning. They played a bunch of tracks, my favourite being "Across That Fine Line". Ian swapped into a Canada t-shirt for the encore. Canadian love is always a nice touch, especially after he had mentioned earlier that bassist Alex MacKay is Canadian, and that this was the only Canadian stop on the tour. They even had Vancouver exclusive t-shirts for sale at the merch table.
Anyways, that's it for my live music journey in Vancouver. I really do think I squeezed the most out of the music scene here, visiting almost every notable venue in the city, seeing everything from stadium shows to arena shows to small indie shows. Maybe I didn't get the most out of other aspects of Vancouver life, particularly the outdoorsy stuff, but I think I stayed true to myself with all the music and film fun I managed to pack in. And that's where I think Toronto will truly shine for me. Onwards and upwards!
