Ladyhawk / 12-Year-Old Girl / Pequod

While many local music fans were recovering from bongo fever due to the previous weekend’s Folk Festival, a handful of intrepid souls ventured out to hear an assortment of sounds from Vancouver. After getting delayed along the way to the club, Pequod made up for lost time by taking to the stage and racing through a handful of off-kilter prog rock tunes. Minutes after they finished, 12-Year-Old Girl came on stage and unleashed an intense show, blended howling vocals, distorted bass and thundering drums into a volatile combination. Vancouver’s Ladyhawk hit the ground running with their Silkworm meets Built to Spill music. From the opening notes of their set, band members played with consistent energy, bouncing around the stage. The group performed a number of songs from their solid debut on Jagjaguwar, along with unveiling newer tunes that showed muscular tunefulness. A few songs into the night, the band ripped into "Teenage Love Song” with ferocity as vocalist Duffy Driediger shook and sang vigorously at the microphone. The group’s slower material, including ballad "Advice,” built to resounding crescendos and charged guitar solos. Towards the end of the evening, the group launched into versions of pop gems "My Old Jackknife” and "Dugout” that had the audience hollering in approval. With their unflagging enthusiasm and skilful playing, Ladyhawk showed an ability to take a low-key night and transform it into an outstanding musical event.