Victory Square Block Party

Victory Square

Vancouver, BC

on Sep 1 2008

Quinn Omori (CHARTattack)

09/03/2008 1:25pm

When it came to the profiles of their respective lineups, the Victory Square Block Party was dwarfed by the New Pornographers-curated Stanley Park Singing Exhibition on the other side of town.

In fact, the first day of the Singing Exhibition opened with one of Victory Square's headliners, The Evaporators. But despite the fact that the Stanley Park soiree featured a handful of Vancouver acts amongst the international talent, there wasn't a better way to play out the summer while celebrating the local scene than with seven hours of performances by some of the city's best kept secrets. That's just what the 2008 Victory Square Block Party offered.

Things started swinging at 2 p.m., but I didn't make it down to the park until 3:30 p.m. when The Mohawk Lodge had just torn into a set of anthemic, heart-on-your-sleeve rock. The Lodge have been around longer, but fellow Vancouverites Ladyhawk came to mind during their set. Both bands have a strong appreciation for Crazy Horse, that's for sure.

Certain Breeds followed The Mohawk Lodge, but not before Man Hussy and members of Bronx Cheer provided a little mid-set comic relief. The former's musical ode to former B.C. Lions kicker Lui Passaglia was as hilarious as it was odd.

After the comedy break, Certain Breeds brought their dark, synth-driven new wave to the stage. Their moody brand of pop was a bit of an odd fit on what's sure to be one of the last sunny afternoons in Vancouver, but any disappointment was due more to the space than the band's proficiency.

I ducked away for some much-needed nourishment while The Green Hour Band got ready and presumably delivered their brand of throwback psychedelia, and returned just in time to catch the tail end of No Kids. The eclectic pop that the band perform has started to win them accolades outside of the west coast, but the hometown crowd was happy to give them some love as well.

The Evaporators hit the stage clad in some sharp looking Vancouver Millionaires jerseys, which was pretty appropriate, considering they're fronted by one of Vancouver's favourite sons, Nardwuar The Human Serviette. An Evaporators show is always a spectacle, but they bring enough musical muscle to prevent the songs from becoming a sideshow. This night was no different.

The Evaporators finally got the lounging crowd to fill the area right in front of the stage, but only Basketball got the crowd moving. The local favourites' headlining set was a bittersweet affair, though. The performance itself was stellar, and the band enlisted some of their friends (from No Gold and Sex Negatives) to help give their droney, rhythmic synth jams an even more tribal sound via some extra percussion. But the night also marked the band's last Vancouver show, since all three members are relocating to Spain later this week. If the trio's move ends up being a permanent one, it was a hell of a way to say goodbye.