1

Tweet

Oh Village, The Oh Wells, Young Liars and Cruel Young Heart Put on Entertaining Show

Local bands prove that there’s plenty of talent in our own backyard.

On February 18, I attended a show put on by Rustic Roots artist management at the Dodson Rooms. It was among the more interesting shows I’ve been to – in lots of good ways and a few more debateable ones. The night consisted of four local bands: Oh Village, The Oh Wells, Young Liars and Cruel Young Heart.

Kicking off the night was Oh Village, formerly known as Ivory Coast and second-place winners of Youthink’s BC’s Best Teen Band Contest 2011. It was my first time seeing the band play since they had a change in lineup and I have to say that they’ve grown incredibly over just the past 10 months. The musical maturity is evident with the addition of other instruments (trumpet and cello) as well as their vocal harmonies. As far as their on-stage banter goes, they were as charming and down-to-earth as ever. They played some old songs with newer arrangements and a few that I had never heard before, but they were consistent with keeping the audience engaged.
 
Next to take the stage was The Oh Wells. Words may fail in my attempt to explain how much fun it was to watch them, but I’ll try.  Lead singer Sarah Jickling was a bundle of energy that filled up the space in the room. The problem with a large venue and small audience is that there’s a lot extra space and in the case of this show, it accumulated right in front of the stage. Unfazed, Jickling gladly used the space to jump and dance and generally look like she was having the time of her life. A Vancouver trademark appears to be genuinely nice musicians and The Oh Wells personified that in their own quirky way. The music was catchy and Jickling’s vocals shone through even more than in the band’s recordings.
 
After a brief break, it was time for Young Liars’ set. I have to confess to not knowing much about the band beforehand, and despite a 40-minute set, not knowing much about them afterwards either. Their music was fine, catchy and unique much of the time, but I found their performance forgettable. It got boring at times and I found it too easy to zone out. That said, I’d recommend that anyone who’s interested check out their song Colours since I found it stubbornly lodged in my head long after the show was over.
 
The final band to play was Cruel Young Heart, and please understand, I very badly wanted to like them. I really did try to. Their set started out inconspicuously enough. Their music was likeable in the sort of bland and unremarkable way that could probably be made marketable to a very specific demographic. Things took a turn for the surreal when they left halfway through their set and returned wearing astronaut costumes and carrying a large disco ball which the singer held for an entire song before passing it off to someone in the audience.
 
I was left a little stunned and not entirely sure whether I should be laughing or shaking my head condescendingly. It felt gimmicky; it didn’t fit with the natural, honest quality that the rest of the night had carried. I understand that it was an attempt to be memorable but quality music shouldn’t have to hide behind homemade costumes or shiny props. Don’t get me wrong: it was funny and entertaining and I laughed harder than I have in awhile, but the band had gone from being forgettable to being an anecdote about a band I probably won’t listen to again.
 
Overall, it was a wonderful night. The highlight for me really was The Oh Wells’ set. There’s something so incredibly uplifting about watching talented people who are eager to share their enthusiasm.

I feel like there were some valuable lessons in there that our recently announced Top 3 bands in BC’s Best Teen Band contest can pick up on. So, in preparation for your showcase in April: Do be emotive, do be passionate, do be entertaining, and please, do it all with a level of authenticity.