It was a sold-out show at Babylon Nightclub.
Playing that night were:
Braids
Pepper Rabbit
Born Gold
The show started off with Born Gold. The band was previously known as Gobble Gobble and had already played Ottawa under that name. This time it was their first time performing here with the new moniker.
They played tracks from their full-length album Bodysongs. If you’ve never been to one of their live shows, you’re definitely in for a treat. Their performance was filled with drums, shovels, stilts, synths, an inflatable ghost, and just about anything you could imagine to create fun, danceable sounds.
They truly brought the party. A lot of people were dancing, and at one point one of the members even went crowd surfing. It was easily one of the most energetic sets of the evening.
http://soundcloud.com/borngold/04-morning-bath-1
Next up was Pepper Rabbit.
This time I finally got to see a full set from them. The first time I caught them was earlier in the year at the Ottawa Folk Festival, but I didn’t stay long because of various things happening around the festival and the strong winds that day.
This time around, they delivered a great poppy and moody set. The lead singer rocked what I like to call “Harry Potter glasses,” which added to the band’s quirky charm. I really enjoyed their performance, and much of the audience seemed to agree, swaying along to the music.
Lastly, it was Braids’ turn to take the stage.
The band just keeps getting better and better with their live shows. Their music feels meticulously crafted in a live setting, and the performance was mesmerizing with their psychedelic, experimental, and dreamy pop sound.
They opened with a new track, and of course played songs like “Glass Deers,” “Lemonade,” and “Plath Heart” from their album Native Speaker. This time I even found myself singing along since Braids had posted the lyrics on their website beforehand.
The audience was incredibly attentive and enthusiastic throughout their set. The final song—one they also performed at the Polaris Music Prize 2011—absolutely tore the roof off the place.
Looking back at Braids’ set, it’s amazing to see how much things have changed in just a year. The last time I saw them in Ottawa was on July 21, 2010, when they played a small show to maybe 10 people. Since then they’ve also played RBC Bluesfest and returned again in January 2011.
Now they’re performing to a packed venue. It’s clear they’re gaining more and more fans, and it really shows how talented this band is.
Overall, it was easily one of the best shows I’ve seen this year.
Here are the rest of the photos.
Here is a video I took of Braid’s set. Don’t know the name of the song since it was new.
