Octoduck Ignites Calgary’s Palomino with the Help of Hardcore Makeout and Bad Bodies
Octoduck. Photo credit: Dianne Miranda.
The night of November 29 was a celebration, and there was a lot to commemorate as friends packed The Palomino for Octoduck’s album release with Hardcore Makeout and Bad Bodies opening.
It’s hard not to start by admitting that when a band like Hardcore Makeout opens a night with their unique take on R&B and indie pop, the crowd simply didn’t just watch. We leaned in for a kiss of energy that left us hungry for more.
Their music brought a certain easy liveliness: bright, each note pulsing with a groove, carefree and playful, and the crowd eventually found itself swaying along, each step bringing them closer to the stage. As they played both unreleased songs like “I’m Way Too Ugly For You”, and the released “Relax”, one would not be able to find a single head not bopping to their disco-infused grooves.
Funnily enough, Octoduck’s EP release show popped up on my radar just as I realized I hadn’t seen Bad Bodies live since this year’s Sled Island. As an avid listener of this five-piece band, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Bad Bodies. Photo credit: Dianne Miranda.
This second set of the night perfectly continued the effortless sweetness and breezy charm and relaxed ease that we saw earlier. There’s something hypnotizing about Bad Bodies’ dreamy melodies and airy vocals that seem to float effortlessly over guitar and baselines as leadsinger Tomi Nu repeat lyrics like “tell me you’ve moved on, tell me, tell me you’ve moved on.”
An iconic feature of Bad Bodies’ set is the red lighting that seems to engulf whatever stage they occupy. Midway through their set, Nu shares that when they first moved out, their bedroom lighting was red. Now, under the same glow, it feels as though we’ve all been transported back into their 20-year-old’s room. This warm, familiar feeling never fails to make their performance feel so nostalgic, confessional and intensely immediate.
Beyond the headliners and the reason why myself like so many others decided to spend their Friday night at The Palomino, this space that we all shared was also defined by the incredibly outpouring of support from many local artists and musicians like Brett Cassidy (who mixed the EP, and took photos and captured the night), Steph Love of Motherdaughters, Daughter Dentist, Laura Hickli and others. This night was truly more than a release show, it’s a testament of the vibrant music scene we have and a reflection of how music can create a shared space of community care.
And then it was of course time for Octoduck to take the stage. From the very first song, it was clear why so many people had chosen to be where they were during a busy November 29. The four-piece band led by Jordan Moe, and for this night joined by guitarist Scott White of Hardcore Makeout (due to Jordan having injured his pointer finger) poured every ounce of energy into their performance.
One of my highlights of the night was watching Moe perform: whether it was him leaning into a soaring chorus, a perfectly timed kick or locking eyes with someone in the crowd, he had a way of inviting the audience into this intimate, shared experience among the beautiful chaos of the stage.
The night ended with what we were all waiting for: the three songs off of the new 3P2. What better way to also finish off their set with the song in the new EP that was dedicated to Moe’s wife. This earned the many ‘awe'’’s that continued well into “Never Been Here Before.” And contrary to Moe’s modest slightest doubts, the new songs sound as amazing live, if not better than the recordings. The songs live are so dynamic and there’s truly a certain joy watching the chemistry between band members on stage.
For anyone fortunate to be there that night, I’m glad to have experienced such a celebration, but also to have simply shared a space that was filled with joy, support, and radiating love enough to warm up anyone on that cold night.
Crowd at the Palomino. Photo credit: Dianne Miranda.