Evaporators / Budokan/ Thee Goblins

One always expects sweaty fun and a few surprises at an Evaporators show, but this time the unexpected was a little bit bigger when Nardwuar brought his three-ring circus to Victoria. The show was organised as a launch party for his new DVD. He showed some interview clips (both from the DVD and some unreleased bonus bits, including some hilarious moments with an incredibly wasted Courtney Love) before the rock'n'roll action from Thee Goblins, Budokan and Evaporators. Nardwuar took the mic and made his way through the crowd as he explained how the Evaporators' regular bassist, John Collins, was currently on tour with the New Pornographers and this evening bass duties would be handled by Sloan's Chris Murphy. But before Murphy hopped on stage with Vancouver's most energetic band, there was other musical fun. Thee Goblins came out in their usual spooky getups and bounced through a brief set of organ and drums simplicity. After a few more video clips, Victoria's Budokan, featuring ex-members of Bum, Pigment Vehicle and Vinaigrettes, played a short and incredibly sweet set of power pop perfection. With songs as catchy as "Doll Hospital" and "For Badge Holders Only," Budokan certainly lived up to their pedigree. The Evaporators are no slouches themselves when it comes to pedigree, with Dave Carswell of the Smugglers, his partner in production, Collins, the tireless Scott Livingston and the enigma that is Nardwuar, but with the added oomph of Murphy on bass, it was a legendary evening. With only one night's practice under his belt, Murphy nailed pretty much every song and the few flubs he made he did so with a big smile on his face while belting out backing vocals. But of course, any Evaporators show is Nardwuar's time to shine and he was up to his usual antics. He wasted no time getting the crowd to sing and dance along, changed outfits between songs and surfed the crowd with his Ace Tone organ, all the while beaming from ear to sweaty ear. And that smile and energy must have been contagious, as there wasn't a single person leaving the show who wasn't grinning.