Elderbrook at the Commodore Ballroom

One hand waves slowly above the crowd at the Commodore Ballroom while the intro to “Inner Light”, the 2021 collaboration of Elderbrook and Bob Moses, builds.

You wanna dance
I wanna lead
A sleight of hand
That you never see

As the chorus drops, one becomes many. Waving to the beat, the crowd, they wanna dance. 

The ballroom had been buzzing since before England’s Elderbrook, AKA Alexander Kotz, took the stage around 10 pm on Thursday, February 23. His second of two sold-out shows in Vancouver, with an afterparty to follow, was an electric night. 

The lights dimmed then brightened and Kotz got right to it with the 2020 single “Numb”, from the album Why Do We Shake in the Cold.

The enlivened crowd moved as prompted, from a gentle sway to an enthusiastic surge, as Elderbrook performed popular tracks, including 2019’s “Something About You”, and new releases, “I’ll Be Around” and “Talk it Over”. 

Standing centre stage with synthesizers on each side, Kotz held a microphone in one hand while he twisted dials with the other. His early career as a singer-songwriter came to mind with the somewhat melancholy intros common to many of his songs, such as 2018’s “Bird Song”. The slowdown sometimes felt awkward, but the feeling was quickly shaken as the beat picked up again.

Elderbrook’s Little Love Tour continues to the USA and the East Coast of Canada before he heads to Europe in May.

More Elderbrook at the Commodore Ballroom photos:

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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.