I had been out a couple times on the weekend already, so I really had no intention to leave my apartment once I had gotten back from work. When I found a message waiting for me from my friend about a Said the Whale show at the Capital, I looked them up and convinced myself to go. I’m so glad I did.

The five piece from Vancouver, BC knew exactly how to put on a good show. I only knew the songs I had quickly looked up on their Myspace before leaving, but when they came on I had no choice but to feel the excitement. And the songs that I didn’t recognize I hoped and prayed were on the album. And they were such amazing crowd pleasers without even trying, making it look effortless to get the entire crowd included to finish a song with a slow chant, or to dance like no ones watching.

Said the Whale has some of the most original music I’ve heard in a long time. Take some rock, some folk, a dash of a sea shanty, shake with a xylophone, and top it with a ukulele, serve over fresh lyrics and enjoy. The upbeat tempo of Out on the Shield, and Camilo mash so perfectly with the slower melodies of A Cold Night Close to the End, and Holly, Ontario to make an album that’s so entertaining, it’s hard to not store it over at the beginning again, and again, and again (which I did as soon as I got home).

If you’re near any of these places on these dates you should most definitely be there.

28 Apr 2010 West End Cultural Center Winnipeg, Manitoba
29 Apr 2010 Amigo’s Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30 Apr 2010 Starlite Edmonton, Alberta
1 May 2010 Royal Canadian Legion Calgary, Alberta
2 May 2010 Habitat Kelowna, British Columbia
4 May 2010 Sugar Nightclub Victoria, British Columbia
5 May 2010 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, British Columbia

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