REVIEW: Yukon Blonde plays The Studio in Hamilton — Andru Valpy Multimedia Artist and Content Creator

As published in Urbanicity Magazine. November 21, 2018

Take smooth synthesizers, blend them with bongo beats, then add a gaggle of talented musicians, and you have Yukon Blonde last night at The Studio.

Despite the colder temperatures outside, inside The Studio, things were heating up. From the very beginning the band had the going from the strums of the first song Too Close.

“Thanks for playing Hamilton!” a fan shouted out towards the band. They responded by saying“Thanks for having us you guys! We’d never skip The Hammer! Thank you for having us, and thank you for coming!”

Having played in steel town “at least five or six times” the band knew exactly what the crowd wanted. Upbeat rhythms, toe-tapping beats, and even a bit of a sing-along, including a nod to The Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations.

“A bit too old for you guys?”

“No!” the crowd shouted back.

The band has been a staple in the Canadian indie rock scene since 2005, and has built a reputation for putting on stellar shows, packed with a blend of raw energy, smooth sexy beats, and a bit of Canadianna twang. Those in the audience who have followed them from their humble beginnings out west, were happy to see the band pulling out throwbacks.

Yukon Blonde found a great balance in promoting their new album Critical Hit, while still throwing in fan favourites.

“What’s crazy about this tour, is that we did the work, and we love playing our new stuff, and we’re very aware that people are like ‘they’re only playing their new shit’ and then we end up playing a bit of our old stuff, but then people yell out the song names off of our new album!”

For a minute, the band got so caught up in the moment, that they forgot what day it was.

“You guys can now say you’ve been to the best Monday night show ever!”

“It’s Tuesday dude.”

Kicking off the night were The Zola’s who captivated the room with their own unique sound, something reminiscent of 80’s digital rock and modern rock and roll.

The Yukon Blonde tour continues until December 6, with various stops including Chicago, St. Paul, Winnipeg, Red Deer, Calgary, and Vancouver, before wrapping up in Victoria.

Their new album Critical Hit is out now in stores and most major streaming outlets.

Bonus! Yukon Blonde Set List – The Studio