The National - Concert Review

Last Friday evening was supposed to be a rainy one at Malkin Bowl. As people were still arriving at this stunning location – which gives the impression of being in the middle of a national park - the opening band The Walkmen started their set. Showcasing an original mix of folk, surf rock and garage rock, the band slowly conquered the crowd with their excellent songs, and outstanding musicianship (a special mention to singer Hamilton Leithauser, one of the best rock singers I have seen live). Their hit single “The Rat” marked one of the high points of the evening.

Then it was time for the main course. The National appeared on stage equipped with great lighting, great sound (something that always happens; the main band sounds way better then the openers, maybe intentionally…), plus a modest horn section and a multi-instrumentalist (violin, melodica, pump organ, etc.) to enhance the atmosphere. Kicking it off with “Anyone’s Ghost” from their latest L.P., “High Violet”, the band immediately made an impression. Personally I was surprised by how energetic the songs sounded live, with lots of guitar feedback and even loud screaming from baritone vocalist Matt Berninger. This was most notorious on “Terrible Love”, which starts their “High Violet” album in a subtle way, but is transformed into an anthemic rocker live.

With a set consisting mainly on material from the previously mentioned album, plus previous classics as “Mistaken for Strangers”, “Abel” and the closing “About Today”, The National delivered a near perfect performance, while showing good humor and apparently having a great time. Despite the forecast, there was practically no rain all through the night, and after over an hour of the band’s somber music, everyone seemed pretty happy.

-Daniel Larrain, Homewerx Manager

Vampire Weekend - Concert Review

With summer drawing to a close, The Vampire Weekend concert was a great way to bid adieu to those great long summer nights. Performing outdoors at the very west coast location, The Malkin Bowl, Vampire Weekend drew two smaller, intimate crowds on their two night stints in Vancouver. True, there was a bit of fall bite in the air, but we soon didn’t notice as we found ourselves bouncing with joy as Vampire Weekend took to the stage with their opening song “holiday”. The ultra hip crowd showed their enthusiasm by singing back the lyrics, and Vampire Weekend did not disappoint, with rousing performances of fan favorites like “Cousins”, “M79”, “Walcott”, and my personal favorite “California English”.

The Band sounded great as a cohesive unit, Ezra Koenig voice vibrated brilliantly through the Malkin Bowl, and all concert goers were hanging on his every word, including those in the unofficial “family section” and even the overflow crowd just outside the fence. In a musical world where the industry standard seems to allow voices to be electronically transformed to perfection, I was impressed on how Koenig’s voice and the band’s distinct sound captured live sounded exactly like the CD. All and all Vampire Weekend put on a great show, we had “Blake’s got a new face” in our head for a good week.

-James O'Brien, Homewerx Manager

Native Shoes / The Miller & The Jefferson now available!

Welcome to the Lomographic Society!

Introducing the Diana Mini - Diana in look and spirit - but don’t be fooled – this is an altogether different Diana experience!

The Diana Mini has big shoes to fill being the little sister of the classic beauty Diana F+. Luckily the “Mini” was born a star in her own right. Super sweet, the Diana Mini has got plenty of style and features to the nines. With the flick of a little switch you can move from the retro square format to the amazing Half-Frame, giving you the ability to Shoot Forever, packing 72 shots onto one 35mm film! Her handy-dandy size and limitless creative potential is a revolution in analogue photography.
 

With the Diana Mini long exposures are no biggie thanks to the ‘B’ setting, tripod mount and cable release attachment – a Diana first. Its wide-angle lens means you can get close or chose between any of the four focal distances. There is the possibility to take multiple-exposures and if you’re into abstract expressionism when it comes to your Lomography, you can overlap frames endlessly creating multiple-exposure panoramas. The in-built Diana flash plug makes it compatible with the retro-styled Diana Flash (available separately).

Now available at Homewerx in classic blue/black and the brand new release in white!