Hotel Mira took the stage in Regina, Saskatchewan this past Wednesday night along with special guests Fake Shark. The night kicked off just after 8pm at The Exchange - a local venue just off 8th Ave that has hosted bands for over 26 years.
I must say, I only vaguely knew a few songs going into this show. I have been trying to expand my musical horizons to different genres, new artists & going to shows to truly get a first impression of bands. I think that for our music industry to thrive again more people need to at least try do that. Just get out of your 'norm' to go support artists you know or don't know. Oddly, I did have a few audience members saying that they did just that which made me happy. People just heading out for a night, seeing some live music & having a blast instead of staying at home with take-out & clocking into streaming an album or TV show. Great job expanding you horizons & supporting artists to those of you I had the pleasure of chatting with. Especially on a night like this - an incredibly talented group of artists that made the trip to our small Canadian city!
Immediately as Hotel Mira took the stage I was super impressed at the connection they had with the audience. The crowd moved right up to the stage, they were all dancing & even singing along. Seeing that always makes a person happy. Frontman Charlie Kerr called out to the crowd wondering who was going through a breakup at the moment. Evidently a young fellow raised his hand. Kerr questioned the audience member on what their exes name was. Kerr then incorporated the audience members exes name into a chant during the bridge 'Better On Your Own' a song off of the bands 2020 album 'Perfectionism'. I won't say what the name of this person was that everyone chanted - what happens at the show stays at the show haha. But, I know for an absolute fact that this was such an important moment for that audience member & a super cheeky uniting moment for the crowd.
The song that had me captured the most had to be 'Jungle' off of 'Perfectionism'. This is one of the songs I hadn't listened to before going to the show. The use of guitar delay paired with the surfy tones of Clark Greive's intro in this song is perfection. Cole George's drums perfectly compliment those surfy delay tones with a fun, upbeat rumble. Gang vocals during the chorus too??? Come on. All these factors make for a tune bound to make a listener move & groove.
The band featured a whole bunch of songs off of their newest album release 'I Am Not Myself' with notable songs 'Fever Pitch' & 'Dancing With The Moonlight'. An expressive synth aspect is brought in with 'Dancing With The Moonlight' that builds a fullness along with the prominent bass lines throughout the song.
All in all, I am super glad I attended this show & was super impressed with the strong musicianship of every member of the band. Will I go to another Hotel Mira show? Absolutely! You should head out to one too!
Photos & Review by Nikki That Rocktographer.
