Concerts Photos
The Charlatans at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver
There is something special about watching a band that has been doing this for decades step onstage and look like they are having just as much fun as the people watching them. That was The Charlatans at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on September 11.
Frontman Tim Burgess remains one of the most naturally charismatic figures in British alternative rock. From the opening moments, he was constantly connecting with the crowd, arms raised, dancing across the stage and soaking in every response. There was no sense of going through the motions. The joy looked genuine.
The set balanced the band’s latest album, We Are Love, with a deep run through their back catalogue. “We Are Love,” “Deeper and Deeper” and “For the Girls” sat comfortably beside classics like “North Country Boy,” “Weirdo,” “Tellin’ Stories,” “One to Another” and “Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over.”
Tony Rogers’ Hammond organ remained one of the band’s secret weapons, adding that unmistakable swirl to the songs, while Mark Collins’ guitar and Martin Blunt’s bass gave the set its groove. The chemistry between the musicians was just as enjoyable as the songs themselves. At times, it felt less like watching a tightly scripted rock show and more like being invited into a really good studio jam.
“North Country Boy” and “One to Another” produced some of the biggest reactions of the night, but “The Only One I Know” was the obvious crowd-pleaser. They closed the encore with “Sproston Green.”
More than 30 years into their career, The Charlatans are not simply selling nostalgia. They are still making new music, still taking chances onstage and, perhaps most importantly, still look like they genuinely love playing together. Vancouver got a reminder that some bands age, but the Charlatans just keep playing.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
THE CHARLATANS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Photos
Chance The Rapper Brings ‘Coloring Book Ten Anniversary Tour’ to Vancouver
Chance The Rapper brought Coloring Book back to life in Vancouver, taking over the Freedom Mobile Arch at the PNE for a night that felt like both a celebration and a trip back in time. The Chicago born rapper is currently marking ten years of Coloring Book, the 2016 mixtape that became a defining project in his career and helped push independent music further into the mainstream. There was something special about watching Chance perform music that has been with his fans for a decade. You could see how much these songs still mean to people just by looking around the crowd. There were hands in the air, people singing along, and moments where it felt like Chance barely needed to say anything because the audience already knew exactly what was coming.
Photographing the show gave me a completely different way of experiencing that energy. Through my lens, I found myself paying attention to the smaller details , his expressions between verses, the way he moved around the stage, the lighting changing around him, and the reactions coming from the crowd. Chance is naturally expressive when he performs, and as a photographer, that gave me so many different moments to look for rather than simply trying to capture the biggest moment of each song.
What I also loved was that the performance wasn’t only about nostalgia. Chance has always mixed hip-hop with elements of gospel, soul, and jazz, and hearing that musical identity in a live setting gave the night a lot of warmth and personality. Even with a project celebrating its tenth anniversary at the centre of the show, the music didn’t feel stuck in the past.
Getting the opportunity to photograph Chance The Rapper was one of those experiences where I occasionally had to remind myself to look beyond the viewfinder and actually take in what was happening in front of me. Capturing an artist celebrating such an important chapter of his career, surrounded by a Vancouver crowd that clearly still has a lot of love for these songs, made this a memorable night to shoot. Some concerts are about getting the perfect photo; this one was just as much about capturing the feeling behind it.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
CHANCE THE RAPPER
All Photo Credit: Raphael Arthur
Concerts Photos
Arlo Parks Brings Her ‘Desire Tour’ to the Pearl in Vancouver
Arlo Parks brought her Desire Tour to Vancouver’s The Pearl on September 22, turning the intimate venue into something much bigger than its walls suggested. In support of her third album, Ambiguous Desire, Parks delivered a set that traded some of her earlier introspection for movement, warmth and a genuine sense of connection.
She opened with “Heaven,” immediately filling the room with energy. Parks moved across the small stage with an ease that matched her soft vocals, while low lighting and haze created the kind of atmosphere that has become part of her live identity. By the time the chorus arrived, the crowd was fully in it.
That sense of connection became the defining feature of the night. Parks was joined by just two musicians, yet the stripped-down setup never felt too small. During “Get Go,” the audience took over the vocals.
The shift in energy reflects Ambiguous Desire, Parks’ third album and the follow-up to 2023’s My Soft Machine. Her Mercury Prize-winning debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams, captured isolation, young love and the uncertainty of growing up. The new record keeps that emotional honesty but gives those feelings somewhere to move.
“2SIDED” brought the set to a fitting close, capturing the album’s push and pull between giving love and wondering if it is being returned.
Arlo Parks had given Vancouver a dance party, but more than that, she created a room where people could simply feel close to one another.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ARLO PARKS
BAIRD
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer