Poolside at the Hollywood Theatre

Review and Photos – Poolside at the Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver, Feb 3 2024

An eager crowd at Vancouver’s sold-out Hollywood theatre cheered for the arrival of LA’s Poolside on Saturday night. As the band trickled onto the stage, multi-instrumentalist Casey Butler kicked things off with an impressive saxophone solo–2020’s “Abandoned Tunnel.” The cheers rang louder as Poolside’s founder and frontman, Jeffrey Paradise arrived centre stage. The music picked up and the haze of dancing began. 

Kicking off in mid-January, Poolside’s Blame It All On Love tour worked its way up the West Coast to Vancouver, bringing their chill, sunny vibes with them, and to several other North American cities, including Toronto and Montreal later this month. 

Described as “appropriately chill music for summer soirees,” one couldn’t help but wish they were lounging by a pool under the summer sun while swaying back and forth to the relaxed beats. The stage was appropriately adorned with palm trees and jute rugs, and a signature sunset image was painted on drummer Vito Roccoforte’s bass drum. Mattie Safer (bass) and Alton San Giovanni (guitar) rounded out the group on stage. 

Blame It All On Love is the group’s fourth studio album and features several collaborations with artists, including Munya (“Lonely Night”), Slenderbodies (“Hold Onto You”) and Panama (“Back To Life”). The set list for Saturday night included new releases, older favourites and a few covers, including their captivating remix of Miami Horror’s “Leila” and the crowd-pleasing “Harvest Moon.”  2020’s “Can’t Stop Your Lovin’” never fails to get listeners moving, as did 2017’s “Everything Goes.” 

The night was awash with groovy beats, smooth vocals and serene instrumentals. Despite the dark night and cold weather outside, the crowd was warmed up and embraced the summer vibes that Poolside brings.

More Poolside at the Hollywood Theatre 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.