Five concerts to catch this year

Some of my favourite artists who are coming to Vancouver this year
By Ash Sabinin, Contributor

I missed concerts and am so excited to be able to go out and enjoy concerts again, they really are a special environment full of people who are all passionate about the same thing.

Concerts are the backdrops of so many amazing moments shared by so many different people who would never interact otherwise. It’s a beautiful thing to have a large group of people in one place enjoying the same musical performance and for many people, those concerts are part of our most cherished memories. Here are five of the concerts I most look forward to going into the new year.

Dodie
Dodie is a 26-year-old artist from the UK, who was blasted into stardom when she began posting her songs and covers on YouTube and enchanted fans around the world with her beautiful voice, sweet charm, and loveable nature. I fell in love with her after hearing “Would You Be So Kind” and “In the Middle” back in 2017. Later in 2019, she released “Monster” alongside numerous covers and collaborations with other musical content creators. She’ll be performing at the Vogue Theatre on March 18th with tickets going for around $30. 

K.Flay
“High Enough” was released back in 2017 and it’s stuck around ever since, making appearances in recent TikTok trends and TV & movie scenes. K.Flay has so many good songs and some of my favourites are “Blood in the Cut,” “So What,” and “I Like Myself (Most of the Time).” Her song “Bad Memory” was featured in the movie Birds of Prey back in 2020. Outside Voices was released last year and is composed of five songs, with my favourite being “Nothing Can Kill Us” with “Weirdo” coming in as a close second. Her music always has excellent lyrics that really paint a picture carried along by her distinctive vocals. She’ll be performing at Hollywood theatre at 8 pm on March 10 with tickets going between $107-$182.

Portugal. The Man
If you listened to the radio in 2017, you’ve probably bobbed your head along to the song “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man at one point or another. It’s an amazingly catchy song that still has a place on my driving playlist. “Steal My Sunshine” with Cherry Glazerr and “Novocaine for the Soul” with Sir Chloe are their most recently released singles.

In the past year or so, Alt-j has become one of my most played bands, with “Left hand free” and “Breezeblocks” constantly being stuck in my head, along with “U&ME”, which is one of their more recent songs. Alt-j and Cherry Glazerr will be performing with Portugal. The Man on March 30 at the Pacific Coliseum with tickets ranging from $50 to $100.

Lord Huron
I would be impressed if you can find a person who hasn’t yet heard Lord Huron’s song “The Night We Met”. It can be found everywhere from TikTok to movie scenes to a million sad Spotify playlists. Their music is so beautiful it can make you feel heartbreak for a relationship you never even had. Their most recent album Long Lost is another beautiful collection of songs that are just perfect to listen to around a fire or on a long, slow walk by yourself. If you’re interested in that style of music, they’ll be performing at the Orpheum Theatre on August 5 with tickets priced from $60 to over $400.

half•alive
half•alive was one of the bands that I became completely obsessed with in 2020 while in the first lockdown. “still feel” was the song that first introduced me to them and then “The Fall” and “ok ok?” All three quickly made their way onto my list of favourite songs. Their music overall is very catchy and makes you want to dance along but also can be played along in the background while chilling or playing video games. Last year, they released “Hot Tea” which is a mellow but groovy song that talks about wanting to experience life fully. The trio will be performing at Hollywood Theatre on March 27th with general tickets going for around $35. 

I missed concerts and am so excited to be able to go out and enjoy concerts again, they really are a special environment full of people who are all passionate about the same thing. Hopefully, this list gives you some ideas on different bands to check out and see live this year.