The Rural Alberta Advantage

Wilkes and I took our first leap into Vancouver’s live music scene on Saturday night with a trip to see the Rural Alberta Advantage at the Biltmore Cabaret. Despite looking like the back of a 1960s concrete block hotel from outside (probably because that’s what it is), the Biltmore is a great venue, an interesting mix of retro reference points, taking in chandeliers, velvet covered seats in booths, red patterned wallpaper, and of course, stuffed moose heads, with a relaxed atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of Start the Bus in Bristol, but with a much bigger stage complete with an authentic curtain. 

Support for the headlining act came from the blues and soul inspired alt-rock of Imaginary Cities, and the melodic, reverb drenched, indie-pop of LA’s Pepper Rabbit. While the support acts were more than decent, The Rural Alberta Advantage stole the show. Despite being a mere trio, focussed around the acoustic guitar and vocals of Nils Edenloff, with only synths, drums and the occasional well place glockenspiel in accompaniment, the RAA maintained a rarely-seen intensity throughout their set; with few their of songs clocking in at over three minutes, there was little space for excess. Propelled urgently along by thunderous drumming and Edenloff’s impassioned vocals, the band’s precisely sketched tales of growing up in the backwaters of Canada demanded unwavering attention from the lively crowd as they rattled through their debut album, Hometowns, throwing in some new tracks, and an acoustic cover of “The Eye of the Tiger” on the way. By the time the set closed with a raucous “Dethbridge in Lethbridge”, there was pogo-ing and dad-dancing aplenty. 

The RAA tour the UK next month, so I would urge anyone at home to go and see them while you have the chance.