On November 25, 2009, St. James Hall, a quaint converted church, played host for the Canadian indie champions-in-waiting, Said the Whale. The venue, just off of 10^th and Trutch, enlists the church-going aesthetic by the comfort of pews (on which I parked myself on the balcony!), while offering pristine acoustics.For a generally low-key band like Said the Whale, the environment was more than fitting. Also, the odd sense of familiarity that I experienced from St. James Hall, presented a perfect backdrop for the Vancouver band, as they were returning to the West Coast after six weeks of travel across Canada.Now there were two shows on this day. The first was the all-ages show, for those hipster high school kids that are significantly limited in their show-going experiences due to the age monopoly dictated by the cash grab that comes with having a bar. Having caught the end of their first set, I was thoroughly impressed by how accommodating the crowd was for the band. Perhaps because they weren’t ones to waste a rare opportunity to see a prized local indie band, but the packed crowd demonstrated their unconditional love for this band’s music by focusing all their attention to the group for the duration of their set, a trend that I have found to become increasingly rare, especially at smaller shows like this.Anyways, the 19+ show that I saw in its entirety, also had a respectful (and large) crowd. I theorize that the reason that there weren’t many obnoxious drunks was because there is something disheartening about drinking in a church. Or it was because the only thing the bar was serving was Pilsner.Either way, both crowds contributed greatly to the atmosphere generated by the venue and the chipper sets by Said the Whale and the opener, Hannah Georgas.Hanna Georgas was first up, playing tracks off of her The Beat Stuff EP.For the most part, Georgas, alongside members of Said the Whale as her backing band, as well as other players in the Vancouver music scene, played a solid set. Being unfamiliar with her material, I wasn’t fully engaged with her music, but generally impressed with her presence on stage.Her voice is full-bodied and unique, at times greatly overshadowing the instrumentation supporting her. Her limited banter was adorable and enchanted the audience with welcoming demeanor that would convince you to continue to pay attention to her.Her music worked well in support of Said the Whale as she also works of the notable influence of folk and pop music, in addition to her predominantly rock influence. Although Georgas’ set didn’t offer anything particularly original, she still manages to separate herself from the abomination of generic Canadian rock music through fully integrating her endearing personality into her music.After a quick set change, Said the Whale came out to an overjoyed homecoming crowd. After an ovation, the band opened with “False Creek Change” off of their latest record, Islands Disappear, before switching over to tracks off of their previous record, Howe Sounds/ Taking Abalonia. Despite the more successful radio singles (I’m thinking of one in particular) off of Islands Disappear, I was much more surprised to see how fluent the majority of the crowd was with their older material, again demonstrating the loyal fan base that this band has accumulated.For the most part, Said the Whale included a healthy balance old and new music, which made for a varied set. However, the energy that was created by tracks such as “Out on the Shield” and the dominant single “Camilo (The Magician)”, dissipated over a few of the slower tracks. Although vocalists Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft were full of energy throughout, without missing a note, making the shift from dance-party to lighter-anthem and back again eventually lost some of the momentum of the set, by the end of which I was thankful for the pews.Despite the minor issue of sustaining a more balanced sense of energy throughout their set, the band’s performance was near flawless. The songs translated perfectly live. In a few cases, the subtle nuances that were lost on record rose to the surface and made some of less noteworthy songs become some of the better songs of the set.Take the final song of the night as an example. While most of the set was decent, I wasn’t necessarily blown away. Save for the last song, “The Curse of the Currents”.Unplugging the acoustic guitar and singing away from the microphone, Ben Worcester led a fragile, heartbreaking sing-along about watching a loved one drown in the Georgia Straight, accompanied by soft piano, clean electric and subtle bass. This memorable moment ranks as one of the most tragic, emotional I’ve experienced at a show in a long while.Amidst the donuts tossed into the crowd, and charming (not to mention pun-filled) onstage banter, Said the Whale certainly didn’t disappoint with their live performance. Their energy and talent were present, and demonstrated their potential to implement themselves amongst Canadian indie-pop elite.Said the Whale is worth your time, so it may be in your best interest to check out this group before the rest of Canada does.Photos courtesy of Adam Greenberg