After their first appearance in Vancouver was cancelled, only to make that up with an ill-fitting opening spot for Vampire Weekend a few months back, girl group and garage throwbacks Dum Dum Girls finally played a proper club gig in the city. The ladies, all dressed in black, with vacant stares peaking out behind bangs, set the mood to match their looks with a slow-burning cover of Rolling Stones' "Play with Fire." The gears were shifted immediately afterwards, though, and the four-piece stuck to songs from their debut LP, I Will Be, for the remainder of their brief set. Tracks like "Jail La La" and "Everybody's Out" lived up to the "blissed out buzzsaw" slogan that's resided on the band's MySpace since their inception, but their pitch-perfect performance and captivating stage presence showed that they've come a long way since Dee Dee's bedroom recordings.
The Vaselines first-ever appearance in Vancouver was met with a sold-out crowd at the Biltmore. The band, featuring the original duo of Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee alongside some fresher faces, were supporting the release of their new Sub Pop release, Sex with an X. Despite the fact that most reunion shows that coincide with a new album end up with the band coming across as a pale version of their former selves, the Vaselines new songs managed to capture the same naive innocence that won them a cult fan base in the first place, and stood alongside the older material flawlessly. Of course, the most love from the crowd was given to classic tracks like "Slushy," "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam" and "Molly's Lips," the last of which had the Dum Dum Girls on stage honking the bicycle horn from the original song. A charming set from a group that clearly haven't lost any charisma.
The Vaselines first-ever appearance in Vancouver was met with a sold-out crowd at the Biltmore. The band, featuring the original duo of Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee alongside some fresher faces, were supporting the release of their new Sub Pop release, Sex with an X. Despite the fact that most reunion shows that coincide with a new album end up with the band coming across as a pale version of their former selves, the Vaselines new songs managed to capture the same naive innocence that won them a cult fan base in the first place, and stood alongside the older material flawlessly. Of course, the most love from the crowd was given to classic tracks like "Slushy," "Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam" and "Molly's Lips," the last of which had the Dum Dum Girls on stage honking the bicycle horn from the original song. A charming set from a group that clearly haven't lost any charisma.
