Genre-defying world music group Delhi 2 Dublin is based in Vancouver but its music is an astonishing combination of Bhangra and Celtic sounds. They’ll bring their inimitable sounds to The Gateway on Thursday October 20 for a sure-to-be enthralling performance.
Of course that won’t be your only option for this busy evening as British folk-punk sensation Frank Turner will bring his anthemic songwriting straight from England. You can read about him in this very issue of Fast Forward but it’s also worth noting that anarcho-acoustic greats Andrew Jackson Jihad will be opening so it might be wise to dust off that Food Not Bombs back-patch.
Then again the same Thursday will also see road-ready outsider B.A. Johnston take the stage at The Palomino. He plays here often enough that he could be mistaken for a local artist but Johnston is just addicted to hitting the Trans-Canada Highway. With support from so-hot-right-now locals The Gooeys this is as good a choice as any.
Why not spend your Friday night doing a good deed of sorts by rocking out at the CJSW Funding Drive Launch where locals Black Phoenix Orchestra and Rockets and Dinosaurs will join Saskatoon indie rockers The Moas at The Palomino. Listening to quality rock ’n’ roll while putting your money towards a good cause all but guarantees a feel-good hangover on Saturday morning.
Then again sometimes Friday nights require you to dance your face off in which case you might want to hit up the Big Four Building where Diplo will head a lineup that also includes DJ Pump the Smalltown DJs and a battle set between Dom G and Ryan Ford .
Of course whatever you do up to this point in the week will be obliterated by Napalm Death who take the stage at The Distillery on Friday October 21. The English grindcore legends have been beating the shit out of eardrums since 1981 but they certainly haven’t slowed down with age — they plan to release their 15th album next year.
Three choices for a Friday really aren’t enough though are they? For those of you who’d rather spend time with a reclusive outsider artist Jandek who has been going strong in the avant-garde pop scene since the late ‘70s will bring his once-in-a-lifetime Calgary performance to Cantos on October 21. You can read more about him in this issue.
Thanks to this week’s Fast Forward cover story you can learn all about the inner workings of the Commonwealth Bar. Rather than just focus on the behind-the-scenes of the place however you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy the venue’s first proper rock show as Vancouver fuzz rockers Ladyhawk bring their good-time jams to the stage where they’ll be joined by Dojo Workhorse and Axis of Conversation .
