Roosevelt at the Biltmore

Review & Photos – Roosevelt at the Biltmore, Vancouver, Dec 10 2021

To the Roosevelt fans at the Biltmore Friday night, thank you for dancing. Though caught between rows of chairs and in aisles or stuck at the back of the room, thank you for swaying your hips and waving your hands in the air while singing loudly to your favourite songs. As Roosevelt sang during the encore, “music sounds better with you.”

Center stage in the intimate basement venue, Roosevelt, a.k.a. Marius Lauber, performed several songs from his latest album, Polydans, along with older favourites, including “Montreal” from his debut EP, Elliot, and the 2016 single “Colours”. 

The crowd was drawn to dance by the German musician’s upbeat synth pop. A couple attempted a classic twirl in front of their seats, while others jumped up and down. Lights were timed to the beat of the music adding an extra level of vitality that made the already compelling performance impossible to resist. 

Lauber was joined on stage by his bandmates on keys, bass and drums. The singer and producer seemed to be having a blast, smiling while he danced with his guitar and even while wiping the dripping sweat from his face onto his t-shirt. He missed this, he notes to the crowd.

Several rounds of cheers and applause later, the room was filled with an almost rowdy energy as Roosevelt wrapped up the show with the 2020 single, “Sign”. The crowd chanted “one more song” until the group returned. A particularly excited fan held his folded chair up in the air while dancing back and forth for the final two songs; a cover of the aforementioned Stardust track, “Music Sounds Better with You” and the crowd-pleasing single, “Night Moves”, released in 2015. 

Nearing the end of the North American portion of the Polydans tour, Roosevelt is heading down the coast with opener Bilderbuch. The tour continues in Europe in spring of 2022. 

More Roosevelt at the Biltmore Cabaret photos:

Contributors

Julie Rankin

Julie Rankin is a writer and a designer and developer of digital experiences. She currently operates her own holistic creative studio that aims to push the boundaries of what we can build together on the web. Julie is passionate about digital sustainability, accessibility and user experience. In addition to serving as editor and writer at Bright Noise, Julie also writes fiction. She can often be found cycling, walking along the Vancouver seawall, or enjoying some live music.

Kirk Chantraine

Kirk Chantraine is a Canadian photographer and software developer currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He graduated from Vancouver Film School for 3D Animation in 2004 and has been working in the Visual Effects industry ever since with companies such as Electronic Arts and Disney. Over the last few years Kirk has exhibited his photographic works in San Francisco and Vancouver. A music aficionado and vinyl junkie, Kirk shoots live music and performance at an inhuman pace across North America for Bright Noise , along with landscape and portraiture. If you're buying: gin-and-tonics. He is @kchantraine on Twitter.