The recent concert featuring Loans, The Sylvia Platters, and Daniel Sparrow with The Visions ended up being an ultra-casual stand up function. The intimate Copper Hall venue in Mission reverberated with energy that shot through my body from my heels to my head and made standing still impossible. With a sold out crowd of roughly 35 concertgoers, it felt like a private invitation to an epic performance.
The Jan. 20 event featured three local acts: Loans and Daniel Sparrow with The Visions are Abbotsford-based, and The Sylvia Platters are Abbotsford and Vancouver-based. All three play within the indie rock genre.
Daniel Sparrow with The Visions got the night going. Sparrow’s soft vocals contrasted beautifully with the heaviness of the drums and guitar. I was blown away by their new track, “Keep U Alive:” the decrescendo of its guitar riffs gave this song a down-to-earth feel. I was filled with love on multiple occasions — not only when Sparrow declared “I love you” to the audience, but also when he embraced one of his bandmates mid-way through their performance.
Next was The Sylvia Platters — as refreshing as their new song and accompanying music video, “Kool Aid Blue.” The vocals were incredibly soulful, and the band strategically added depth and a dose of perfect imperfection when they intentionally — and sparingly — squeaked their instruments.
Loans quite literally ended the night with a bang, and I’d recommend to anyone who likes hard-hitting drums as much as I do to see this band live. Normally, I can’t shut my mind up, but Loans’ act thoroughly captured me and kept me in rapt attention. The lead singer put so much energy into his performance that veins popped out of his neck, and the bassist contributed a deep undercut that stuck in my chest until his fingers left the strings.
I spoke with Sparrow, and with singer, guitarist, and songwriter for The Sylvia Platters (and former Editor-in-Chief for The Cascade), Nick Ubels. “I’m constantly listening to a lot of Bob Dylan,” said Sparrow when I asked about his musical influences. “Once I put Daniel Sparrow with The Visions together, it definitely turned into something a bit more rock, like indie rock forward — a little bit of Americana, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Killers, Sloan — a lot of rock and roll.”
Ubels said he and his brother Tim “listened to a lot of really great guitar-based melodic rock and roll” when they were growing up. As they got older, they moved away from their parent’s bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, and discovered new sounds in Big Star, Teenage Fanclub, and Alvvays. “That’s our wheelhouse.”
Sparrow, who’s expecting a baby, will be taking a break from performing until summer at the earliest, but Ubels offered to be a point of connection for other local bands. “If there’s anybody who is reading this article, has a cool band, and wants to play a show, message me,” he said. “We’ll try to make something happen.” Those interested in collaborating with Ubels can contact him at thesylviaplatters@gmail.com or through The Sylvia Platters’ page on Instagram, X, or Facebook.
Jade is an English Honours: Creative Writing student. She plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing after graduating from her undergraduate degree. When she’s not in class or studying, she can be found doing karaoke at a local restaurant in hopes of getting noticed and signed to a record deal.