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When acclaimed Vancouver singer-songwriters Haley Blais and Sam Lynch threw up a posting on Eventbrite for a date at the WISE Hall in February, fans of the two were excited and curious.
On that date, February 19, the East Vancouver hall filled up quickly. Greeting fans at the front of the venue was a clue to what exactly might be happening. Shirts with “I was at the first True Mountain Laurel show” emblazoned on them gave it away, but those in the audience would have to wait until intermission to hear the partnership.
First, musician Sam Davidson took the stage and soothed the mostly seated crowd with his expert work on the clarinet and saxophone. Then, Amanda Sum delivered a tap dancing routine set to Charli XCX’s “360”, which brought the vibes back up before comedian Aaron Read launched into a charming, awkward-on-purpose set in which he chatted with the crowd and showed off a fairly thorough knowledge of Vancouver’s bus routes.
Then, it was time for said intermission, and the crowd lined up at both the ATM and the bar to stock up.
Blais and Lynch took the stage, which was decorated with a hung bed sheet and lights—perhaps in a nod to Lynch’s house, where much of the pair’s practice time took place.
As they took the stage, Blais and Lynch had the charming persona of best friends who were doing something they loved together.
The first song, “Bury Me Not”, was a collaboration off the new record. Then, they took turns going into their separate discographies while the other one would harmonize or sing certain parts. It lent a new perspective to transportive tunes like Blais’ “Coolest fucking bitch in town” and Lynch’s “Hurt”. The duo took turns on harmonica and guitar, showing off their musicality.
They then launched into six fully new songs, including standouts like “Angel So Bad”, which featured a perfectly complementary duet, and “East of Anything, Sunny”, a heartbreaking and stirring shout-in-the-shower tune.
All of the songs were richly delivered and perfectly executed, and the women behind them seemed to be having the time of their lives. They closed with a cover (Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”) and sent the crowd home happy. (That is, after they stood in the extremely long merch line to get a shirt that will never be sold again.)
Nathan Caddell
True Mountain Laurel (the name comes from a tree Blais and Lynch discovered while on tour together) is playing two sold-out shows in Toronto at the end of the month but has no plans beyond that.
No matter what, odds are they’ll keep having fun.