by Sophie Isbister (Opinion Editor) – Email
Despite playing to a reluctant post-Canucks-game bar crowd at Corky’s Irish Pub in Chilliwack, Abbotsford band The Hot Moonbeams still managed to bring rock star energy when they opened for Joel Willoughby and The Pilgrims at a UFV Student Union Society sponsored show on Wednesday, February 9.
The seated crowd in the venue, which may not be the best for future indie pop shows, spent much of the show with their eyes glued to the stage: or perhaps it was to the screen above the stage, which showed highlights from NHL games. Despite crowd setbacks and a few technical difficulties, The Hot Moonbeams, comprised of Tim Ubels on drums, David Kandal on bass and guitar, and Dan Edwards and Nick Ubels sharing the role of vocals (as well as bass and guitar respectively), entertained the scattered crowd with pop-rock anthems.
Overall, The Hot Moonbeams played a lively set, with minor technical problems. Great onstage-interaction smoothed over any issues. They started the set with a song called Richard Gere, and then quickly moved onto their well-loved track, “At the Movies.” The first part of their set was pop inspired, but towards the end they moved into some harder tracks and really came together as a group. The Hot Moonbeams have a sound to watch out for in the indie music scene in Abbotsford.
The Cascade spoke with members of the band after their performance: “It’s a fun place to play, it was great to play loud, and I think everything went pretty well,” said co-frontman Nick Ubels. When The Cascade asked the band about how it felt to play after a losing Canucks game, they replied that they were disappointed, but that this is not new to them: “We were hoping they would win so everyone would be in great spirits for the show. So on a certain level, yeah it’s tough to follow,” said Ubels.
“We played a show at the Yale last year [after] the Canucks lost during the playoffs,” Ubels added. Devotees of both the Canucks and the HMBs may remember the band also played to a crowd at the Airfare Lounge after a losing ‘Nucks game last winter. In response to speculations about a possible HMB-imposed hex on the Vancouver hockey team, Ubels was upbeat yet sardonic: “We’re definitely a hex on the game. It’s one of our biggest accomplishments.”
Headlining the night was the five-piece folk inspired alt-pop ensemble Joel Willoughby and the Pilgrims. This local band has enjoyed success in strange places: their catchy song “Hazelnut Moon” held a spot on the in-store playlist of Hollister, the holy grail of prepster fashion for American youth. Willoughby, a former student of UFV, and his accompanying musicians bring a casual sensibility and hummable tunes, and they didn’t fail to deliver their upbeat sound to the remaining crowd at Corky’s.
Joel Willoughby and the Pilgrims entertained with several original tracks, including the well-known Hazelnut Moon (for which I had been practicing my whistling all day), as well as a few covers of popular hits by Coldplay and David Grey. They also treated the audience to a new track, “Stay with Me,” and some twangy alt-country sounds. But perhaps the best part of the performance was the personalities on display. Joel Willoughby made the best of the dwindling crowd and the sports bar atmosphere, at one time even expressing joy at “getting to play the songs I love and watch the sports highlights at the same time.”
Joel Willoughby and the Pilgrims are comprised of Joel Willoughby himself on vocals, Adam Greenwood on guitar, Ryan Remple on bass and backing vocals, Ben Berkiw on drums, and the lovely Lindy Enns on keys and backing vocals. Enns’ voice, while sometimes getting lost in the sound, soared on several tracks. The ensemble worked well together to create a deep sound; it was a shame that, due to the day of the week and the location of the venue, the show didn’t have a better attendance. Check out Joel Willoughy on radio3.cbc.ca. I promise after listening to the six tracks they have available, you won’t miss another opportunity to see this group play live.
