We swayed effortlessly to the beautifully chilling sounds that emanated from the stage as Weep Wave engulfed us in psychedelic euphoria. The Astoria was filled with mostly local characters that ranged from the regular drunkards who frequent the seedy area to the type of person that may be seen at such festivals as Bass Coast or Shambhala. The vibes were good and so was the music. We arrived to the Astoria early that day after Weep Wave had a slight struggle with the border. As usual it took them some time to convince the border guards that, indeed, they were a band who were being paid to do something they love and once this was established they were on their way to the Canadian dreamland of Vancouver, BC.
They settled their gear safely in the back room of the Astoria and it was time to go see the sights. Unfortunately for them, we only had about an hour until set up, so it was a quaint walk around the block with some green stimulation that filled our pre-show time. We saw the large shipping cranes down by the water and frontman Dylan Fuentes remarked how they looked like Brontosauruses towering over the edge of the city, waiting to trample those who got too close. The weather was almost too nice and our quick walk ended up feeling like an adventure in an environment we were unprepared for. Must find water.
Once the adventure was through, we returned to the Astoria. Bassist Dylan Trujillo had been up since 11:00 pm the prior evening, so he opted to take a nap in the van while Fuentes as well as synth player Colton Harold set up their merchandise table and prepared themselves for showtime.
Weep Wave killed their set. Harold picked up the drums and his rhythmic genius backed Fuentes’ thoughtful lyrics as they flowed through his custom made vintage phone microphone. Seriously, he sang into a phone. Trujillo kindly thrashed along with his bandmates and must have had just enough of a nap to prepare because he was nothing short of amazing as well.
About a quarter into their set, Fuentes surprised the crowd by stepping to the front of the stage and strumming a non amplified tune to the crowd. It was a beautifully intimate moment in which he thanked the crowd for listenin’, solidifying his down to earth demeanour and his willingness to reach out to the very people that make his career possible. To all those who frequent live shows, especially those of lesser known bands, we here at Reqt Chords magazine agree with Fuentes and would also like to thank you for listenin’.
After a good show and a night spent on this writer’s couch, Weep Wave started their post show day with a Budgies burrito for breakfast and some axe throwing for lunch. Vancouver treated them well and they reciprocated tenfold, come back anytime Weep Wave, we miss you already.