Yukon Blonde @ the Grad Club March 23, 2013

A sold out night at the Grad Club with Lucy Rose and Yukon Blonde: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this show ever since the date was announced and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This was easily one of the best sounding live shows I’ve ever been to.

Lucy Rose and her band came down from the UK to tour with the boys from BC in hopes of expanding the fan base they succeeded in Kingston. They opened up the night with a great set, that to be honest, caught me totally off guard and was much better than any recording I heard previously. I ducked into the bathroom after they finished, and someone mentioned how surprised he was that the opening act was so good despite never hearing about them before. So please, Ms. Rose, come back to Kingston soon! You made a great first impression.

Yukon Blonde, unlike the opening act, had fans waiting at a sold out show with high expectations. I had only seen them live once before, at last summer’s Wolfe Island Music Festival, and they were definitely solid, but that show didn’t even come close to this one. This band has improved by leaps and bounds since then.

People in the crowd were singing along with every song, soaking in every minute of the set. I was doubtful, but they played one of my favourite songs of theirs, “Breathing Tigers,” despite it not being one of the band’s more popular tracks. It was easily my favourite part of the night. Through the singing, the clapping and all the smiles, it was easy to tell that everyone was having a good time.

The crowd demanded an encore and the band played a few more of their own tunes, along with an upbeat interpretation of The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight.” My brother came along with to me to the show despite never listening to Yukon Blonde previously. Let’s just say that by the end of the night he ended up buying an album from the merch table. It is very easy for me to say that the entire show was a resounding success.

-Matt

Six Dead Tigers by Yukon Blonde

Six Dead Tigers

Ever since the release of Tiger Talk and the band’s imminent tour, Yukon Blonde’s fan base has been growing at a steady pace, and it isn’t difficult to see why. Tiger Talk is a collection of driving, upbeat tracks that grab your attention the second that they start. The whole record is incredibly catchy and the songs will be stuck in your head for months on end.

I began listening to this album over the past summer, yet I still catch myself singing and humming the songs to myself. “Six Dead Tigers” is one of the many reasons why this keeps happening and is perhaps my favourite piece from the entire album.

Being one of the many great bands to emerge from Canada’s west coast, it’s great to see these guys finally gain some much deserved popularity. Tiger Talk is one of the best investments I’ve made all year and if you give Yukon Blonde a serious chance, you too will be listening for a long time to come.

-Matt