As a relatively new fan of Louise Burns, I couldn’t pass up attending her show at Lucky Bar on Friday, October 20. When I sat down with a beer at one of the little tables inside the bar, I knew I would be in for a treat, and, boy, did I get one.
I was unfamiliar with opener Mise en Scene; aside from talking about how they’re from Winnipeg a little too much, they sounded great and really suited the atmosphere of Lucky. The band’s rock reverberated off the brick walls and filled the space with a huge amount of passion and love for their music.
I was sitting close to the back of the bar but I had a great view of the stage. During Mise en Scene’s performance, Louise Burns was selling her merch basically right in front of me. I haven’t been to a lot of intimate shows like this; that kind of personal interaction with fans was new to me and was definitely positive.
As the opener’s set went on, the crowd started to grow, as did the amount of energy inside the bar. As Mise en Scene wrapped up and Burns took the stage with her band, I grabbed another beer and eagerly awaited the music that I had been listening to on almost continuous repeat recently.
Burns and her band were great, perfectly playing a mix of songs from her albums while keeping up a notable stage presence. By the time Burns played “Who’s the Madman,” the opening track off her most recent album, Young Mopes, I found myself singing along and starting to jam out with the songs. Burns sounded fantastic; she has a powerful recorded voice, but she really shines in a live setting. Her deep, velvety voice complemented her band’s sound perfectly and held the audience’s attention for the whole show.
The audience was clearly into her performance, with a few people dancing and a positive buzz in the air.
I was glad to see Burns play live; I’m excited to see what she and her new band come up with next.