The Pack A.D. - Deer

The Pack A.D. put on a great show two Fridays ago at The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. This was a homecoming gig for the duo of Becky Black and Maya Miller who are from East Vancouver. They are a lot like The Black Keys in terms of their bluesy garage duo vibe. But these chicks are way more badass and have a killer punk rock attitude. 

The set kicked off with the thunderous, brand new track "The Water" and the crowd started to swell, getting closer and closer to the stage. By the third track, "Haunt You", a great song to chant and lose it to the crowd had gotten completely mental as a mosh pit formed up front and dozens of guys and gals made their way on stage only to dive back into the trenches. The rest of the show kept up with this frantic pace with the band only stopping briefly in between songs. Drummer Maya Miller is just hilarious with her stage banter saying things like "We'll play one more song" after the first song lol and "This is another song that is by us". Highlights included a booming "B.C. Is On Fire" which really got the local crowd going, a blistering "Sirens" which is their most popular song to date and has incredible riffage, and a bluesy "K Stomp". They came out for an encore of several old songs and rarities which was great for all of the hardcore fans that have been with them since the beginning. I am certainly not one of those people as I only got into them after I heard "Sirens" and the above track but really dug 'em nonetheless.

We got there kinda late and unfortunately missed the first band but caught the last 3 songs from second band, No Sinner. They are another local band that sports a female vocalist with a joplin-esque set of pipes and an excellent guitarist. This guy stole the show, especially during their wicked instrumental finale. I look forward to seeing this band again and hope they continue to get bigger.

"Deer" is my favourite song by The Pack A.D. It has a sick riff and I love Becky's vocal as she howls with with a demented shrill yet holds back at all the right moments. She nailed the vocal that night, even as she jumped all over the stage and up onto Maya's drum kit. The video for this is also awesome and shot locally.

The Pack A.D. are a great local band. I urge you to check out their two most recent albums, Unpersons and We Kill Computers, and better yet check them out live. I guarantee a fun time at a great rock show!