Real Live Action

Longwalkshortdock

w/ Vincent Parker & Ruairi Lazers

Biltmore Cabaret; April 24, 2010

Review By Greg McMullen


The Biltmore was transformed into a psychedelic dance party by Ruairi Lazers, Vincent Parker and Longwalkshortdock with the help of RIMVISUALS and Robin Greenwood for this show. The stage was bathed in tripped-out eye candy, ranging from a spastic loop of Maria from Metropolis to a sheet of space invaders scrolling down the walls and the side of the stage. With that setting, how could the night go wrong?

Ruairi Lazers built a tent of shower curtains on stage to serve as a base of operations for his audio assault. He brought a drum kit, a flute and heaps of electronics across from Victoria to create perhaps the most engaging set of the night—deep, murky bass layered with live drums and beatboxing, looped and filtered into smart, glitchy, dub-infused soundscapes for the dozen or so people who arrived early enough to enjoy it.

Once the tent was taken down, Vincent Parker took over the stage. He delivered crunchy 8-bit beats with his laptop and Kaoss pads, warming up the dancefloor as more people filtered through the doors. The night was effectively the release party for his new album, Prism Myst, and by the time he was finished his set the crowd was partying along with him.

To close out the night, Longwalkshortdock, also known as Vancouver’s Dave King, brought his tower of electronic tricks and treats to the Biltmore stage for the first time. LWSD flailed about the stage, blasting out some new acid-infused tunes in preparation for summer festivals. The new songs were well received, but the biggest cheers of all were saved for his encore, “High Expectations”, a LWSD favorite that had the entire crowd screaming along. When 11 p.m. came around, the Glory Days crowd outside was feeling like they’d missed the real party.