Bob Moses At The Commodore

Vancouver-grown, LA-based Bob Moses returns to their hometown for the first Canadian stop on the North American tour in support of new album, Battle Lines.

Bob Moses (plus a drummer and bassist) kicked off the 75-minute set with a haunting rendition of “Heaven Only Knows,” the first song from the new album. On Battle Lines, Bob Moses continues to explore the space between organic instrumentation and electronic production to great effect. But it’s on stage that the songs truly come alive.

Born from the Brooklyn underground scene in 2012, the band’s early single releases on taste-making electronic label Scissor & Thread and captivating live performances led to signing with Domino and the release of Days Gone By. A standout performance on “Ellen,” a pair of nominations at both the Junos and the Grammys (and a Grammy win), and a top 15 US Alternative radio hit with “Tearing Me Up” soon followed.

On a warm Tuesday night in Vancouver, the Commodore Ballroom was sold out and it was clear the crowd was happy to be there, sharing the good vibes with the band, who played a nice mix of songs from the last album and some new ones. The deep house party continued but for a few brief interruptions during which the duo performed guitar-heavy songs where the sound leaned towards early-day hits by Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails.

Throughout the night, Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance delivered their signature guitar hooks, deep house rhythms and lush vocals, all the while managing to keep Vancouver’s notoriously unenthusiastic audience pulsing to the beat, throwing their arms in the air, and singing along.