Words by: Chelsea Palmer
Photos by: David Markland
MON, FEB 16 – If you haven’t been to Venue, it’s a beautiful, spacious layout, with a good bar setup and a really impressive sound system. Since I moved to Vancouver, I’ve been shocked at the terrible sound quality at so many shows, but Venue clearly focuses on the music, rather than just getting bodies in the door. As the crowd filed in, no one could contain their excitement about seeing Sadistik and Cage; most of us knew and were excited about at least one of the local openers: Gorgeous Geordie, Evil Ebenezer, and Animal Nation, but Cage?! In Vancouver?! Everyone was rightfully pumped.
Animal Nation was a charismatic opening act, a pair of dudes keeping the spirit light and fun. The front MC pulled out a harmonica halfway through the first track, to cheers, and the DJ jumped in to rap throughout the set as well. They were great at working with the crowd and had some nice rhythm, laying the groundwork for a pretty excellent show.
Evil Ebenezer had similarly strong delivery and engaged well with the audience. He dropped some really funny references and lines, garnering laughs, and maintained an even progression throughout his set. However, he was the first of the night’s performers to be confronted by a jackass heckler, something that would unfortunately crop up again. The little brat was in the front row, trying to interrupt the set, but got unanimously booed as he did his walk of shame to the back of (and hopefully right out of) the venue. Good riddance.
Gorgeous Geordie rolled out with the lights down, a stage full of candles, and a goat skull in his hands, living up to his Goth aesthetic. He started the set with the opening track for his new album, Guilty Goth, collaboration with Guilty Priest. He continued the night’s aesthetic of slick, flawless flow, but brought a heavier and darker vibe to the scene. Again, though, a drunken troublemaker jumped in out of nowhere, and chucked a full beer can at him in the middle of his flow– Geordie handled this kid swiftly and surely, and after he did, the impressive security team at Venue escorted him out of the show. Take-away point from this set: do not fuck with Gorgeous Geordie… you will only end up making a fool of yourself.
As the headliners, both Sadistik and Cage played really, satisfyingly long sets– I’m used to the frustrating cut-out after about 6 songs, but they were there to blast our faces off, over and over and over. Geordie had been the perfect choice to lead-in for Sadistik, who similarly got a bit dark with his content and material. He kept up the energy and vibe, and unleashed an increasing rhythmic onslaught as the show built. Still, one of the distinguishing characteristics of his music is its poetic, often personal lyrics, and he laid it out bare for the audience. He ran through some great tracks, from Ghost in the Machine, to Orange, to a personal favorite of mine, Virginia Woolf, and built up to a crescendo finale with 1984 and The Rabbithole. Then, ended with a literal mic drop. Yup. Classic.
Cage topped off the night. For many in the crowd, he has been a long-time hero. He wove through his discography, and the crowd was freaking out, shouting along with every track, infatuated and in his pocket. We were his minions, but not mindless ones– enthusiastic and completely immersed in his talent. The room was like a pulsing, surging Cage ‘Id.’ As a chick reviewer, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention how many of us [based on informally surveying the crowd] were weak in the knees over the way he owned that stage– Cage is seriously hot as hell.
He pulled a ton of classics off of ‘Movies for the Blind,’ the origin point for most of us fans, opening with “Too Much” and “Suicidal Failure.” He slid into a sort of career-long medley near the end of the set, teasing us with tracks from all over his career, including tidbits of “Stoney Lodge;” “Lamb of Nothing;” “Agent Orange” “This Place.” He joked about the former dust-up, asking “When do I get to kick someone in the face?” He ended with “I Never Knew You,” but an encore chant effectively persuaded him back to the stage to give us one more delicious taste.