A rare chance to see Canadian alt-rock favourites Limblifter brought me all the way from Orléans to Neat Cafe in Burnstown last night—my very first show at the acclaimed intimate venue which has hosted many amazing artists over the years.
I was very excited to see Limblifter again, as my only other previous opportunity was four years ago in March 2020 at 27 Club, just days before the world came to a screeching halt thanks to COVID-19.
With no opener, the show got started with Gregory Macdonald on keys, playing the instrumental Proxima Centauri B, as vocalist/guitarist/founder Ryan Dahle, bassist/vocalist Megan Bradfield, and drummer Eric Breitenbach made their way through the crowd to the stage to join him.
The band played a lengthy set of songs from all five of their albums spanning their approximately 28 year career, including some of my favourites such as “Screwed It Up,” “Ariel vs Lotus,” and “Wake Up To The Sun.” The latter faded to nothing but vocals by the band, accompanied by the enthusiast crowd — it was a beautiful moment shared by everyone at Neat. Another highlight was “Bottle Tops Off,” which was such a raucous jam that it resulted in Breitenbach breaking the kick drum pedal, which is no surprise if you’ve ever seen him play. Not to worry, a quick repair, and the band was back in business.
The show was a sellout, and even still, you couldn’t beat the unique connection of seeing a great band in such an intimate setting, where Dahl and the band were able to talk and interact with the crowd, fielding questions, and throwing in anecdotes about frisbee golf, the oxymoron of a gas station bumper sticker made by a company called Unique Sayings, and pondering the origins of the term hat trick.
Dahle thanked the crowd for coming out, especially those who travelled from as far as Montreal for the show. He talked about the need to keep supporting live music, because if we don’t, then venues just disappear and then it’s too late.
The band closed out the set with the classic “Tinfoil,” but Dahle noted, “our drummer thinks we should play a couple more songs,” before adding “In/Out” and “Count to 9” as the show’s true encores before sending fans on their way.
Limblifter’s most recent album, 2022’s Little Payne is available wherever you buy/stream music.
Be sure to check out all the upcoming shows at Neat Cafe.
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