The dimly lit ex-loading dock known as Lucky Bar was completely sold out for a great night of musical talent with Lyon opening for Wake Owl on Thursday, March 13. It was the first stop on Vancouver Island for the bands that have been touring across Canada together; the next venues they’re hitting will be in Courtenay and Nanaimo.
Lyon, an emerging electro indie pop duo from Toronto, started the night off with an impressive array of instruments, including keyboard, drums, electric violin, synth, percussion synth, and a sampler. All but the drums were played by vocalist Lauren Lyon, whose instrumental talent far outweighed the lyrical aspect of their performance. The duo garnered plenty of audience applause, especially with their rendition of Lorde’s hit song “Teams.”
Wake Owl, with members based in Vancouver and Portland, Oregon, celebrated the release of their debut album The Private World of Paradise with their Victoria fans last night. The group, consisting of core members Colyn Cameron and Aiden Briscall, and a guest drummer and keyboardist, put on an amazing show with unique variety and a captivating Hunter S. Thompson-like stage presence.
Much like the indie-pop band’s new album, Wake Owl’s performance included synth, violin, keyboard, bass, guitar, and drums, and produced a very experimental sound with long instrumentals focusing on rhythm and synth pop textures. Their performance really highlighted their unique and open experimental style through use of multiple mediums.
And the fun didn’t end when the gig did: after the show, the band decided to mingle with the audience and dance at Lucky’s Sockhop event.