My fav Ottawa shows of 2024
Codeine, Teenage Fiction, the Beths and more
This year I decided to deal with how sad I felt about my dog dying by getting back into live music. Oh and I took a lot of the videos in the process (yes I realize they are all shaky, grainy iPhone videos but still). Here were the favourite shows I got to see in 2024.
Codeine
Club Saw, March 29, 2024
This was a cool show not just for the music but also offered kind of a fun answer to the question:
What happens to people who play music when they’re young then stop for a bunch of years then decide to do it some more later in life?
The band said that this time they are “really, really done” with touring but seeing the joy onstage suggests otherwise.
Teenage Fiction
Dominion Tavern, April 5, 2024
I went to this show never having heard of Teenage Fiction, let alone having heard its music before.
What a fun surprise this was – the sort of thing that can never happen if you’re only consuming music based on Pitchfork reviews and iTunes downloads.
I’m still trying to put my finger on what exactly this sounds like (the best I can do is some sort of Superchunk/Sonic Youth/Promise Ring mashup but that probably doesn’t do it justice).
Regardless this was in some ways the best kind of show: Getting to experience the surprise of listening to a great band you didn’t even know existed.
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
27 Club, May 15, 2024
Fun fact: My daughter was supposed to be born five days before this show was supposed to take place.
So buying a ticket the day before from Vertigo was a bit of a risk.
Not only that I also ended up lending the guitarist my amp for this, which was a bit of a risk considering, well, the reasons I outlined above.
In the end I got to see the show, which was really enjoyable, and also was not forced to abandon my guitar amp at Zaphod’s for all eternity.
Oh and then the next day my daughter was born.
Win-win-win.
The Beths
Bronson Centre, August 30, 2024
This show was, for me, a long time coming.
I first heard the Beths most recent record, Expert In A Dying Field, two years ago.
Since then I’ve listened to it approximately a billion times.
So getting to see this band live did not disappoint.
Fucked Up
27 Club, September 14, 2024
Confession: I missed this band the first time it took the world by storm about 20 years ago (I vaguely recall the early years of some sort of music prize).
I more than made up for it this past year, when this was probably the band I listened to more than any other.
As for the show let’s just say I certainly felt some things the moment this band kicked into “Queen of Hearts”.
Destroyer
27 Club, November 2, 2024
The first time I saw Destroyer was over 20 years ago on a sunny day at the Plaza of Nations in Vancouver.
This was a different affair, for a variety of reasons, but also showed that the essence of a Destroyer show hasn’t really changed at all in the interim.
Bonus: Isaac Baronikian
Live on Elgin (Open Mic), October 29, 2024
This was one of the most enjoyable open mic experiences I’ve ever had.
You can see Isaac play a full set at Live on Elgin in January.
(Sorry, no video for this one)