Thunderheist in Vancouver, live at the Biltmore Cabaret November 20th, 2009
written and photographed by Natasha Davidson
The Biltmore Cabaret is Vancouver’s best re-emerging venue. Point blank. The indie-electro pop acts all seem to be passing through, putting on excellent shows, and with a fairly small capacity (300 ish) the venue is an excellent spot for an intimate show.
After an increasing amount of anticipation following Winter Gloves’ excellent opening set, the crowd began tugging at the drawn curtain that obscured the view of the stage. Repeatedly those in the front row pulled at the fabric trying to grab a glimpse of the group setting up, and also to encourage them to get out as the hour long wait, despite a talented DJ, was becoming too long to accept.
That changed drastically when Grahm Zilla approached his laptop-keyboard set up, their drummer sat before his drums and MC Isis took the stage, wearing a front zipping black skirt and leopard print tank top. From the second the crowd spotted her, the show jumped into full force.
As the masses pushed, swayed and knocked over the first few rows repeatedly, Isis did her best to quash the potential injuries by exclaiming, “Nobody hit anybody until I tell you to do so.” This had little impact, as drunk fans do what they feel. However, it was impressive that she took the time out to try to control the idiocy.
Thunderheist performed a lengthy set covering the majority of the group’s material including the crowd favourites “LBG,” “Sweet 16″ and “Nothing 2 Step 2.” Isis was extremely energetic, bouncing and singing/rapping with perfect cadence. You couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her performance.
What was odd was that at some point an audience member chucked a banana at her, which she later threw back. Another member of the audience tried to re-offer the banana to her, something which Isis smiled at and dismissed, but you could understand her bitterness at the behaviour.
Isis didn’t forget to take the opportunity to stage dive, as did producer Grahm Zilla towards the end of the show. The set showcased their material as it should; the material was brought to life live better than their recorded sound.
Thunderheist finished their set with the ever popular “Jerk It,” the anthem that everyone in attendance clearly knew. Definitely a successful finish to an excellent show, one which left their fans wishing that the group’s hiatus wasn’t coming so soon.
Thunderheist – Jerk It video
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