Mitski at the Biltmore. Grimes at the Electric Owl. Phoebe Bridgers at the Cobalt. All went on to play much bigger rooms, but the Snipe’s cadre of hard-working, underpaid photographers was there to capture the action.
The Snipe photographed thousands of concerts in Vancouver between 2009 and 2020, often in rooms considerably smaller than the ones these artists would eventually play. (Let’s not dwell on those many more artists who would never take that next step, for whatever reason.) A dive into our Vancouver concert archive reveals some real bragging-rights type of shows.
Here are nine artists we caught in Vancouver clubs before their fortunes changed.
Grimes at the Electric Owl in Vancouver, Nov. 17, 2011. Photo by Krista Jahnke.
In November 2011, Vancouver’s own Claire Boucher was still a couple of months away from releasing Visions, the album that would turn Grimes from an underground curiosity into an international indie star. Ria Nevada wrote a review, and Krista Jahnke took pics at an early show in her hometown.
Robyn at Venue in Vancouver, Nov. 19, 2010. Photo by Ashley Tanasiychuk.
Sure, everyone loves the Swedish singing sensatin now, but full-blown Robynmania hadn’t fully taken effect in 2010. Hence, grizzled boy reporter Shawn Conner was there to catch the show, and ace photog Ashley Tanasiychuk (the hardest name to write in showbiz!) grabbed some snaps. At the time, Robyn had just released Body Talk, an album that contained the unstoppable “Dancing on My Own” as well as “Hang With Me” and “Call Your Girlfriend.”
Sky Ferreira — Biltmore Cabaret, 2013
Sky Ferreira at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, April 5, 2013. Photo by Nicole Leung.
When 20-year-old Sky Ferreira played the Biltmore Cabaret in April 2013, her long-delayed debut album hadn’t even come out yet. She was touring with How to Dress Well and had begun attracting serious attention with the previous year’s Ghost EP and its single “Everything Is Embarrassing.” Night Time, My Time followed later that year.
Tove Lo at Venue in Vancouver, Sept. 27, 2014. Photo by Kirk Chantraine.
Tove Lo played Venue in September 2014 at almost exactly the moment things were exploding for the Swedish singer. Her debut album, Queen of the Clouds, was arriving, “Habits (Stay High)” was becoming an international hit, and an opening slot on Katy Perry’s arena tour was on the horizon. The Snipe caught her while a Vancouver nightclub was still an option.
Big Thief — Biltmore Cabaret, 2016
Big Thief at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, July 9, 2016. Photo by Janelle Huopalainen.
Big Thief played the Biltmore Cabaret in July 2016, shortly after the release of the band’s debut album, Masterpiece. Adrianne Lenker and company were only beginning a run that would make them one of the most acclaimed American indie-rock bands of their generation. Ten years later, they’re playing Vancouver’s Malkin Bowl.
Mitski — Biltmore Cabaret, 2017
Mitski at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, April 7, 2017. Photo by Pavel Boiko.
Mitski was already earning rapturous reviews when she arrived at the Biltmore Cabaret in April 2017, touring behind Puberty 2. But this was before Be the Cowboy, “Nobody” and a vastly expanded audience transformed her into a performer capable of filling theatres and much larger venues around the world.
Japanese Breakfast — Fox Cabaret, 2017
Japanese Breakfast at the Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, Sept. 26, 2017. Photo by Kirk Chantraine.
Michelle Zauner brought Japanese Breakfast to the Fox Cabaret in September 2017, just a couple of months after the release of the project’s second album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet. Four years later, Jubilee would take Japanese Breakfast to another level, while Zauner’s memoir Crying in H Mart became a bestseller.
Phoebe Bridgers — The Cobalt, 2018
Phoebe Bridgers at the Cobalt in Vancouver, April 24, 2018. Photo by Kirk Chantraine.
In April 2018, Phoebe Bridgers played the Cobalt roughly seven months after releasing her debut album, Stranger in the Alps. It wasn’t even her first appearance in The Snipe archive: we’d photographed her opening for Conor Oberst at the Imperial the previous November. Boygenius, multiple Grammy nominations and considerably bigger stages were still ahead.
