Rock Music News: Palace + Human Barbie + Edwin Raphael @ Theatre Beanfield (2024)

Edwin Raphael  Montreal’s own Edwin Raphael and his band were the first to take the stage on this beautiful evening. Before saying a word to… The post Palace + Human Barbie + Edwin Raphael @ Theatre Beanfield appeared first on Montreal Rocks.

Edwin Raphael  Montreal’s own Edwin Raphael and his band were the first to take the stage on this beautiful evening. Before saying a word to… The post Palace + Human Barbie + Edwin Raphael @ Theatre Beanfield appeared first on Montreal Rocks.

Musician Musician
Jun 16, 2023 - 17:07
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Palace + Human Barbie + Edwin Raphael @ Theatre Beanfield

Edwin Raphael 

Montreal’s own Edwin Raphael and his band were the first to take the stage on this beautiful evening. Before saying a word to the crowd, he made sure to set the vibe by lighting up a stick of incense and letting it burn throughout his entire set.  

After hearing a few of his songs, I felt that the incense was a perfect way to describe his sound –  slow burning. The band didn’t have a drummer, just 3 guys accompanied by some tasteful light percussion from their backing tracks. Edwin seemed more focused on creating a great vibe with his music than bringing high energy, and he did a great job.  

I especially enjoyed the last song they performed, “Homesick For The Place I Don’t Even Know.” It had a wonderful climax with some proper drums, and I’m sure it left the audience wanting more. This was honestly a great way to start off the night and served as a great appetizer for what was to come.  

Human Barbie 

Next up was Human Barbie. The last time I saw Palace, their bassist was missing and they were replaced by a very memorable man wearing a huge beanie. This man’s smiley attitude was one of the highlights of Palace’s set last year. To my surprise, the frontman of Human Barbie was the same guy! 

He walked out on stage with a huge grin and instantly whipped out his phone. “It’s my grandma’s 98th birthday today! Say hi!” He said as he filmed the cheering crowd.  I knew we were in for a treat with this band.  

The best word I could use to describe their sound is “uplifting.” Their music leaned a lot towards indie folk, mainly backed by acoustic guitars and beautiful harmonies.  

The band were nothing but smiles the whole time and were perfect to lift spirits a bit more before the main course. 

Palace 

Last year when frontman Leo Wyndham told the crowd at their sold-out Club Soda show that they’d be back soon, I didn’t expect to be seeing them again just over a year later, but here we are! The crowd waited impatiently for their favourite band to walk out on stage, already cheering super loudly before the lights even dimmed. 

It only got louder when Palace appeared and got right into playing one of their new singles, “All  We’ve Ever Wanted.”  

I was happy to see the frontman from Human Barbie join them once again on stage to play a  massive double bass on this track. 

This new song was extremely well received by the crowd, and the band took in a moment to soak in all the praise before saying that it was good to be back in one of their favourite cities. 

Right after, the band took it back to their first album with the title track, “So Long Forever.” The reaction and singing along of the crowd made it obvious how beloved their debut is to many.  

Later on, they slowed it down a bit and brought us to outer space with one of my favourite tracks,  “Gravity.” This song is unlike many of their others and leans towards a more psychedelic sound that I  think they pull off fantastically.  

During “Live Well,” their most popular track, Leo took a step away from the mic for about half of the song and basked in the hundreds of voices singing the lyrics back to him. Even though he wasn’t singing, I felt like this was the way this song was meant to be experienced live. 

The band then left the stage for a brief moment while the frontman picked up his acoustic guitar for a solo version of the song “Holy Smoke.” A nice change of pace before moving on to some more new music. 

During “How Far We’ve Come,” it was refreshing to see all the members smiling and dancing around the stage; you could tell that they were enjoying themselves and confident in their new material. 

Throughout the set, people in the audience kept screaming out for the band to play “Heaven Up  There” it was annoying, but definitely for good reason. When they finally got to this song (which is easily their best in my opinion), the crowd erupted upon hearing the first few ambient-sounding notes from Leo’s guitar. This song is 7 minutes long and packs a punch; it was the only moment in the entire show where I legitimately got chills. No matter how many times I hear this song live, it’ll always bring me to tears.  

The band finished off their main set with a more upbeat sing-along, “Give Me The Rain,” which I  thought was the perfect song to leave fans floored and wanting more.  

As per usual Montreal fashion, Palace was welcomed back on stage with the classic “Olé Olé” chant to play their last two songs for us. Throughout the entire set, the band members would take out their in-ears between songs just to listen to the roar of the audience, and this was no exception.  

They finished off their set with one of their classics, “Bitter,” and promised to be back “very very soon.”  

I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for Palace! 

SETLIST 

  • All We’ve Ever Wanted 
  • So Long Forever 
  • Lover (Don’t Let Me Down)  
  • I Want What You Got 
  • Gravity 
  • Live Well 
  • Holy Smoke 
  • How Far We’ve Come 
  • All in My Stride 
  • Kiloran 
  • Head Above the Water 
  • When Everything Was Lost  
  • Fade 
  • Heaven up There 
  • Give Me The Rain 

ENCORE 

  • Veins 
  • Bitter

Review – Michael AnestopoulosPhotos – Simon Williams & Michael Anestopoulos

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