Words and photos by Jenn Perutka:

Vancouver darlings Said the Whale played a sold out show at St.James Hall on Wednesday November 25th. I jumped at the chance to photograph the show since I had heard great reviews from friends who had seen them live before. Unfortunately, a combination of sleep deprivation and dehydration led me to leave the show only a few songs into their set, but from what I saw the band most definitely lived up to the hype.

Hannah Georgas opened up the show with a set that left me in awe. Her bittersweet, folky vocals and stage presence made it look as if she’s been a veteran in the business for over twenty years.

After warming up the crowd with her upbeat set, Said the Whale took the stage to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic crowd. I always find it difficult to describe a band’s music, so I have to give CBC Radio 3 credit for offering the best description possible by describing it as, “sunny west coast indie pop, with breezy harmonies, shimmering guitars, and lyrical tributes to their home city of Vancouver.” The band most certainly are proud to be from Vancouver and it is no wonder the city goes crazy for them. I hope to see them again and stick around for their full show, and I highly recommend every proud Vancouverite do the same to see first hand the musical gems this city is able to produce.