Rae Spoon Lawnya Vawnya, St. John's NL, May 24

Rae Spoon Lawnya Vawnya, St. John's NL, May 24
Photo: Matt Williams
Few people can hold a room's attention like Rae Spoon did upstairs at the Rocket Room on Thursday. Sure, it's a sit down kinda spot, but Spoon's natural knack for storytelling had the crowd hanging off their every word. Just a few of the topics touched on: our broken justice system, ending your day as a musician and "scaring the shit out of yourself" by playing a show, loving getting the "retirement time slot" on a bill, getting a driver's license after two decades of having a learner's permit, and convincing their friend to lick slugs.
Not to mention the tunes were raw and affecting. Opener "Lighthouse," from all the way back in 2010, started the set on a powerful, stripped-down note, but the rest of it was adorned with some bells and whistles, as loop pedals and drum machines and even the crowd backed them up.
The atmosphere was laid back, friendly, and warm, and touched by a revitalizing amount of laughter. Plus, the dirty version of a new single ended the whole thing on a beautifully defiant note, as the crowd gently sang along: "Do whatever the fuck you waaaant, do whatever the fuck you want."

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