![LIVE Purity Ring by Garrett Lockhart 2]()
VOGUE THEATRE – APRIL 25, 2013
The Vogue was packed on Thursday night for electronic duo Purity Ring. Openers Blue Hawaii came forth with a set heavily focused on bass and tastefully glitched and looped vocals. Their performance started off slower, creating an atmosphere of ambient synths and booming bass drums. As the set continued, however, the tempos accelerated, getting the crowd moving. Near the end, high-pitched vocals, booming bass, and tight drum samples tied their show together; the stage was well warmed up for Purity Ring.
Megan James ominously emerged from the fog in a flowing white dress, wide-eyed and ready to open with “Amenamy.” Corin Roddick tapped out melodic notes on the band’s signature instrument: a table of lit-up fibreglass cocoons. They played a very theatrical set — fog, bright strobes, and a large lit-up tribal bass drum added to the unsettling vibe. The band’s stage presence was captivating; even though they just played Coachella just two weeks before, fans were not cut short; they gave Vancouver an extremely beautiful spectacle. By their third song, “Belispeak,” the crowd was a sea of flailing arms, occasionally lit by strobes cutting through the fog.
Megan and Corin continued playing through songs from their album Shrines. The set was constantly energetic, and had many singing along. Closer to the end of the show, the duo blasted a cover of Soulja Boy’s “Grammy,” a tune that they released on their YouTube channel a few months back, and was received very well by the crowd. The duo wrapped up with “Fireshrine,” and after a bit of vocal glitching, walked back into the fog.
Review and photo by Garrett Lockhart
