SweatShop Union

Vancouver, B.C. – You might have preconceived notions of what type of night you’re in for when, stro… Vancouver, B.C. – You might have preconceived notions of what type of night you’re in for when, strolling up to the venue, you happen to see one of the opening acts puking behind a dumpster. Luckily these notions were quickly thrown out the window once Sweatshop Union’s EP release party got started.

Okay City had the pleasure of warming up the crowd, and although they didn’t have a dance floor full of fans familiar enough with their music to be eagerly singing along with them, they did have enough energy and stage presence to capture the audience’s attention, getting the crowds’ hands swaying and heads moving up and down.

Two thirds of Brass Tackz provided their ever-present personalities for the next set and were causing their usual shenanigans that make them so memorable. On a night where Young Sin couldn’t be there, Snak the Ripper and Evil Ebenezer were more than able to keep the masses entertained, weaving through the crowd and over to the bar for beers, taking shots from excited fans and cutting tracks when you least expected it. They not only kept the night moving with some solid performances but also partied with everyone while they did it.

Headlining the evening and celebrating the release of their new album The Bill Murray EP, Sweatshop Union took to the stage. Always an energetic bunch they opened with the track “Makeshift Kingdom” from the aforementioned EP and bounced through some new and old tracks with precise delivery of each lyric. Former Sweatshop member Kyprios made an appearance during the middle of their set and performed a few tracks including some of his new solo work. Playing the majority of the tracks from The Bill Murray EP and some old favorites, they attempted to finish the night with “Thing About It” but this group of fans weren’t satisfied, and cheered until Sweatshop reappeared and performed a full four track encore consisting of “Now”, “Radio Edit”, the Pigeon Hole track “Looptape” and the final track “Try” before leaving the stage for the final time.

Sweatshop showed us why they have done so well over the years, displaying a polished live performance that sounds good enough to be a studio recording and a solid fan base who are willing to endure a late Wednesday night, skip their breakfast and coffee, hit the snooze button as many times as possible and run out the door smelling of the night before.