Review: Plants and Animals @ Ritual

Yesterday, I left Montreal early and headed back to Ottawa so I could make it to the Plants and Animals show. The group played at Ritual Nightclub, following a show at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield the night before.

I was really excited to see Plants and Animals that evening, especially after seeing them at Bluesfest last summer. My friend/fellow music blogger Elly was nice enough to accompany me to the show. I knew this was her first time seeing the band live and I really wanted to share this experience with her.

Advanced tickets for the Ottawa show were sold out, with only 20 tickets available at the door. Safe to say, those tickets went pretty fast. Although it was a sold out show, the venue didn't feel too packed and I still felt quite comfortable in the huge crowd. I also managed to make my way really close to the stage without being squeezed/pushed again anyone.

Unfortunately, we did not make it to the venue in time to see The Loodies. On the bright side, that meant that we didn't have to wait very long to see Plants and Animals. The band started playing  shortly after 11pm. The crowd was pumped and ready to be blown away. And they were not disappointed.

From the very beginning, the band members brought a lot of energy and dedication to their performance. They seemed having a blast playing onstage together. It felt like we were watching them jam together in their living room. It was so fun to watch!

The setlist mostly included songs from their latest LP "The End of That", which was released in 2012. These songs included "Lightshow", "Crisis!", "No Idea" and "Song for Love". The band also played some of their older material, including "Good Friend" and "Bye Bye Bye", which are fantastic songs.

The band played for about an hour and a half. The show went by way too quickly... I really wish they would have played longer. I'm sure a lot of other people did too.

I first saw Plants and Animals live back in 2010 and I've been a fan ever since. These guys are a great band and they are definitely underestimated, in my opinion. If you have not checked out the band yet, do it now. You will not regret it!

After the show, as I was leaving the venue, I ran into Matthew "Woody" Woodley, the drummer/vocalist for the band, the same guy I interviewed last week for my piece for Couch Assassin. It was nice meeting him in person and it was a great way to end the evening.

Overall, a fantastic, fun show! Great music, great energy and great crowd. I couldn't have asked for anything better!