It’s been more than three years since Black Pistol Fire were last in Victoria.

The Toronto, Ontario/Austin, Texas duo returned to Capital Ballroom for a highly anticipated show Saturday. The first Canadian stop for the band’s ‘Flagrant Act of Bliss’ tour was sold out weeks in advance.

Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom

I’ve been lucky enough to cover Black Pistol Fire more than half a dozen times in the last eight years and, as a photographer, some of my best work has come from photographing their performances.

Guitarist/front man Kevin McKeown and drummer Eric Owen are a lot of fun to watch on stage. Their high energy stage presence pairs well with their southern rock style. McKeown bounded around the stage while ripping guitar solos and went down to the audience barricade multiple times.

Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom

Near the end of the show he plugged his guitar into an extra long patch cable to walk up the stair and play his guitar among the audience members sitting at tables in the upper level before going back down to finish his solo on the dance floor.

Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom
Black Pistol Fire at Capital Ballroom

Black Pistol Fire’s setlists are decided on the fly. A song listed taped to the stage floor simply shows a large list of song titles categorized as essentials, new album, deep cuts and covers. They only played two songs from their new album in their 14 song set. 16 songs, if you count the cover of Childish Gambino’s ‘Redbone’ that was medleyed with ‘Speak of The Devil’ and a cover of The Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy For the Devil’ that was medleyed with ‘Run Rabbit Run’.

Black Pistol Fire setlist options
Black Pistol Fire setlist options

Black Pistol Fire’s show ran almost exactly an hour and a half closing out their one song encore with ‘Bully’.

Opening the night was Los Angeles based indie-rock band Never Ending Fall. They’re the third L.A. band I’ve covered at Capital Ballroom within a week. It was like a mini invasion, but all three bands were of vastly different genres.

They were a lot of fun. Their energy on stage reminded me a bit of Vancouver’s Peach Pit

Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom

Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom
Never Ending Fall at Capital Ballroom

Black Pistol Fire Setlist:
American Wet Dream
Hipster Shake
Low Twang
Pick Your Poison
Level
Redbone (Childish Gambino cover)/Speak of The Devil
Suffocation Blues
Lost Cause
Don’t Ask Why
Look Alive
High Horse
Bad Blood
Run Rabbit Run/Sympathy For the Devil (Rolling Stones cover)
—Encore—
Bully