Concerts Photos
Elevate Music Project 2026 Semi-Finals
Elevate Music Project made its return to Vancouver with a stacked semi-finals night at the Biltmore Cabaret. Six acts, six very different sounds, and a room full of people ready to back local music on a cold January night.
The lineup moved briskly, starting with Carmine. The Victoria-based, female-fronted alt-rock band sounded tight and confident, leaning into sharp hooks and emotional swings. Their songs hit that sweet spot between grit and melody, and the crowd locked in fast. Knowing this band formed almost immediately after a breakup makes their chemistry even more impressive.
Tasavoor followed and flipped the vibe completely. The three-piece blended western textures, funk rhythms, blues grit, and eastern melodies into long, winding songs that felt loose in the best way. They shared that they refuse to play songs the same way twice, and gave their set an unpredictable edge.
The Canyon Riders brought the night back to roots-driven rock. Their sound leaned hard into blues and country rock, powered by a driving rhythm section and duelling guitars that nodded to Southern rock traditions. The band played like they’d been road-tested, and the crowd responded to that honest, no-frills energy.
Snowchild Edge was one of the night’s most magnetic performers. Blending alt-hip hop, R&B, and Afro-fusion, he owned the room with ease. Mid-set, he jumped into the crowd to hype people up, breaking any remaining barrier between stage and floor. His songs carried weight, touching on identity and connection. It was definitely a set that made you stop talking and just watch.
Then came Dani Black, who made it very clear why her name carries so much buzz. Her songwriting stood out immediately, sharp and emotional, delivered with a voice that cut straight through the room. She sang like someone who’s been through it and came back stronger. There was a calm confidence to her presence that felt effortless, the kind you expect from a pop artist with serious range. The audience listened closely, and the applause said it all. We can’t wait to see what she does next!
Closing the night was Summer’s Brother, who leaned fully into art-rock theatrics. With fuzzy guitars, synths, and bold visuals, their set felt like a late-night art show wrapped in indie pop and psych-rock. They weren’t afraid to get weird, and that commitment paid off. The band’s chemistry was tight, and their genre-blurring approach gave the night a fittingly unpredictable ending.
Elevate Music Project has always been about giving Vancouver artists real opportunities, and this semi-finals night proved why the format works. If this is the level heading into the finals, the competition is wide open, and Vancouver music fans are the real winners.
The Finals will be held at the Vogue Theatre on January 22, 2026. Get your tickets here.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
CARMINE
TASAVOOR
CANYON RIDERS
SNOWCHILD EDGE
DANI BLACK
SUMMER’S BROTHER
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Photos
Ruel Brings His ‘Kicking My Feet’ Tour to Los Angeles
Ruel brought his Kicking My Feet tour to a close in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 8th at the Hollywood Palladium. The tour covered 30 cities over the past two months.
Singer-songwriter Chelsea Jordan opened up the night with a high-energy set, performing some of her own songs to warm up the crowd for the rest of the evening.
Mercer Henderson took the stage next. She sang a handful of her songs that had a folk-pop feel to them as she jumped around the stage.
A little after 9:30, the venue went dark and cheers erupted from the audience. A spotlight flicked on, pouring light through a red door raised in the center of the stage. As the cheers grew louder, Ruel made his grand entrance, emerging through the door in a cloud of smoke while singing “Only Ever,” the first track on his latest album. Kicking My Feet is Ruel’s second studio album, released two years after his debut album back in 2023.
Throughout the night, Ruel took the crowd back to the beginning days of his music, playing some fan favorites such as “Dazed & Confused,” “Younger,” and “Painkiller.” The British-born Australian singer hyped up the audience even more by playing an unreleased song from his upcoming album, Kicking My Feet & Screaming, which is a continuation and second part of Kicking My Feet. The new album is set to release in June.
Openers Chelsea Jordan and Mercer Henderson were brought back out on stage to sing a song with Ruel in a heartwarming tribute to the past eight shows they had done together. A bit later, Ruel surprised the crowd by bringing out Arthur Hill, who had previously joined Ruel as a supporting artist for the first half of the shows on this tour leg.
The night was a lively blur of laughter and dancing, a testament to Ruel’s incredible stage presence and vocals. It was the perfect closing night to the Kicking My Feet tour, no doubt leaving fans with memories that will last a lifetime.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
RUEL
MERCER HENDERSON
CHELSEA JORDAN
All Photo Credit: Mallory Snyder
Concerts Photos
Jacob Collier Brings It Back to the Room at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre
Jacob Collier traded spectacle for stillness on April 10 at Orpheum Theatre, and the result felt quietly powerful.
The Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist has built a reputation on big, layered productions and dense harmonic worlds. This tour, The Light For Days Tour: A Series Of Solo Performances In Intimate Spaces, flips that idea. Alone onstage with a five-string guitar, piano, and his signature harmonizer, Collier leaned into restraint.
The set drew heavily from his latest album The Light For Days, a project written in just four days using a single instrument. That limitation carried into the live show. Songs felt more focused, more direct. There was still plenty of harmonic colour, but it never tipped into excess. Instead, it landed with warmth.
Collier’s real instrument, though, might be the crowd. True to form, he conducted the audience like a choir, splitting the room into harmonies that echoed through the Orpheum’s ornate interior. It turned a seated theatre into something communal, almost playful.
Opener Marie Dresselhuis set the tone early with a soft, intimate set that matched the evening’s mood, under the strong cheers of the crowd.
For longtime fans who came up on the sprawling Djesse era, this show was more like a reset. For everyone else, it was a reminder that Collier’s core strength is connection.
Head to Collier‘s website for more information on his upcoming tour dates.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
JACOB COLLIER
MARIE DRESSELHUIS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer