Pup, Sløtface, Fresh - Academy 2 Nov 23, '19

It's no secret that I love Pup. Tracking them down whenever they come near and so I was first in line when they finally announced a proper gig in Brum. Stefan acknowledged this early on - no shit, the last (and only?) time they headlined was in the basement of The Rainbow. Anyhow that was the past and this was now and as always they were here to rev it up and so they did by launching into Morbid Stuff with as much abandon as ever. The Kids were incredibly stoked for the set as they shouted along to every lyric, even those from this year's Morbid Stuff through which the band understandably did a deep dive (considering they toured the hell out of the last two albums already). With a captive audience, Babcock took full advantage to espouse on politics, encouraging us to vote even if it sometimes seems fruitless ("we're Canadian and we adopted your shitty system so we understand" Steve added), and eliciting a Seven Nation Army "Jeremy Corbyn" chant. They also encouraged donations to their European charity Sea Watch. On other topics, Stefan admitted he likes being a shit-disturber and repeated his slagging off their first album despite receiving negative feedback for doing the same thing the previous night. He did say that there were a few tunes they still liked, presumably Dark Days and Reservoir considering their inclusion in the set. But back to the music, despite Stefan's sick throat they didn't hold back and threw in a few from The Dream is Over as well, highlighed by Familiar Patterns. Now road-worn they can really rip a set without looking too weary for the effort. This included ventures out into the constant mosh pit by Stefan and Steve while the crowd literally carried them, physically and with "backing" vocals throughout. By the time it came around to sign off, Stefan was still being purposely unlikeable and clearly voiced the band's stance on encores, even going so far as to suggest that other bands should stop doing them and encouraging us to chant "No More Songs" at future gigs. All that to say they didn't leave the stage before playing their "encore" of the still-incredible one-two punch of If this Tour Doesn't Kill You directly into DVP. If anyone in the crowd had any breath left in their lungs beforehand it was all spent by the end of this sweaty, raucous set from this band that three albums and innumerable in give no appearance of coasting in any regard yet.

Sløtface have been on my radar for a few years now and so I was really excited to catch them again. And they brought it, despite not having yet unleashed their second album. Everyone involved did their part though it is their pint-sized frontwoman who sets the scene. The crowd was appreciative to start and got more and more into it, with moshing and the like. Finally I couldn't take it anymore after one of the new singles Telepathetic rolled into Nancy Drew as I ran in to join them for the closing of the set. A perfect set-up for Pup.


Arriving partway through the set from Fresh I got a good dose of what I expected based upon their recorded stuff - decent indie rocking music with a melodic female voice atop it all. They didn't blow me away but I wouldn't shy away from them in the future either.

Pup Setlist

Morbid Stuff

Kids

My Life Is Over and I Couldn't Be Happier

Back Against the Wall

Free at Last

See You at Your Funeral

Sleep in the Heat

Dark Days

Scorpion Hill

Closure

Familiar Patterns

Reservoir

If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will

DVP

Weakend Friends - Baby G (Toronto) Nov 12, '19

Weakened Friends
It was a frigid Toronto winter evening outside but the lucky and the brave were inside the Baby G. Consisting of Sonia singing and guitar, Annie on bass and backup vocals, plus fill in drummer (Zack?) these were the Weakened Friends. Super grateful for the small gathering who had come to see them they delighted with a perfect set of punk rock. Relating with us by Sonia having grown up in an unnamed Toronto suburb ("you know where Canada's Wonderland is?") the band is now based in Portland, Maine but holds a special spot for Toronto. Having just played a warm up gig for Pup in Halifax (where those Haligonians bought up all the vinyl!) I'd have thought the city taste makers would be all over this trio but they are obviously sleeping. That's alright, I'll be the one saying "I saw them play on a Tuesday at the Baby G and it was superb.

Baby Band
Baby Band the band, playing at Baby G the bar, are still teething. Literally giggling over with enthusiasm they can't quite make up for the lack of polish. The songs were straightforward enough yet it seemed that each of the four of them was stumbling on the regular. The backup vocalist ought to stick to the fringes and the whole crew really needs to hit the rehearsal studio hard before pushing out into the real world. There are some novel ideas here, the Sad! Gay! Broke! chant intro for one song seemed to resonate with some in the room, including the headliners, but the whole set could use some work.

Owen Pallet - Longboat (Great) Hall, Toronto Nov 9, '19

Camille Elle from Army Girls took to the stage first with a couple of electric guitars for herself. At first it didn't seem all that inspired singer-songwriter but after she introduced herself and admitted to some of her anxieties leading up to the show the crowd got behind her and things improved. The start of the upswing was when she played an Army Girls song that had some more oomph, followed by a self described "It Gets Better" song addressed to her teenage-self that further endeared us to her. From there it was smooth sailing as she got stronger with her stage presence, vocals, and just the overall flow to the set.

Owen came to the stage in a long, see through black robe of sorts. While tuning up he introduced himself and warned anyone who has attended the previous night (added due to popular demand) that it would be a near identical repeat "but I'll play it better." In his charming manner he explained that it was a cohesive set, best run uninterrupted and kindly asked us to hold any clapping until he gave us the go-ahead. With a guitar strapped on his back and a violin hung from his mic stand he began as a projection faded in from black behind him. It was a new, lighter take on an In Conflict track to start us off. From there he followed with mostly new songs through the main set, much of the instrumentation coming from the guitar, although his signature violin still featured well. Overall it was a more soothing sound than his earlier frenetic Final Fantasy music, still building songs layer upon layer via his looping pedals as there were no other musicians, yet it showed a lot more restraint. The base layer of the songs was often from the guitar before adding the violin and finally that beautiful, delicate voice of his. The visuals, by a woman named Trudy, continued in their very slow panning through abandoned towns, fields, valleys, and coasts. It was all lovely though it may have been better suited for a sit-down show due to the pace and the fact that it was predominantly new material.


Later on, he did include a couple of released songs, primarily from In Conflict including an album highlight The Passions, some as originally recorded while others got a new take. Finally he broke and was washed over with applause before playing one last song - I believe this was the moment of a personal favourite, Lewis Takes Off His Shirt. Taking a small pause backstage I really wasn't sure what to expect from this evening, whether that was it, but alas he returned for a few more which helped to make up for the indulgent first half. But first he had a chat with the audience and took questions, including "when is It out?" to which Owen gave the unclear response "It. Funny thing is, it's been finished for nearly two years. I listen to it sometimes; it's really good." Another was "when are you playing Toronto again?" which was met with mock outrage "I haven't even finished this set!" There was also banter about how he lives five minutes from the Great Hall and that he actually walked over, though the question about an afterparty at his was met with a laugh "Afterparty? There will be copious amounts of herbal tea." In terms of music he introduced I Am Not Afraid as "my favourite song that I've ever written; I'm just happy I finally learned how to play it." To close it all off was the song that has had many renditions and is a live show stalwart, This is the Dream of Win and Regine, which reminded me of the amazing way Pallett's violin loops and voice can draw me in and take me on a musical wave all while stood in a darkened club. Thanks Owen, looking forward to It.

Murder Capital - Castle & Falcon Oct 12, '19

One of the hottest tickets going was this intimate venue gig nearing the end of the Murder Capital's breakout tour. Managing to snag a pair at the nth hour excitement was high in the room, and for me a chance to catch up on a clash from the End of the Road Festival at the tail end of the summer.

The openers, Happy Couple, did no favours though. While the guitarist and drummer were skilled, just having a female singer in a rock band is not enough to make you interesting. Her monotonous singing, mostly washed out anyhow, and lack of stage presence made us all anxious for it to end and get to the goods.

Murder Cap eventually came out of the dark slowly (very slowly) to rapturous applause from the surprisingly mature audience. They were very methodical in the approach to the set, taking a tact of extremely slow everything to begin with - from the one by one entrance to the music. It was a little anti-climactic in my opinion as everyone who wanted to go off was stuck plodding along. Dressed to impress the boys showed class and poise, giving much love first to each other and then to the crowd. Finally in the third song they reached a tempo that could fire up the crowd and a small mosh got going. Overall they sounded quite good, as everyone says they are set for the big time and you can both see and hear it. (Immediately following this gig they announced a new tour playing the much bigger Institute in their return in the new year.) With only 43 minutes of recorded music in their debut album they played every song and managed to draw it out to a 50 minute set which seemed acutely short after all the build up. I hoped there might be an encore - throw in a cover or a new track - but it wasn't meant to be and we filtered out. Overall it was enjoyable and the guys are worthy of the praise but I'd still like to see the next step bring them to the lofty levels of expectations that they may already be falling under.

Slowdance I

Slowdance II

On Twisted Ground

Love, Love, Love

For Everything

Green & Blue

Don’t Cling to Life

More Is Less

Feeling Fades

End of the Road 2019 - Friday - Pottery, Spiritualized +

Pottery
Kicking the festival off for me was Pottery, an all-male five-piece from Montreal (and no, I didn't go see them just because they're Canadian). With every one of them contributing on vocals I quite enjoyed their set in the Tipi Tent. Even intra-song they kept things interesting with shifting tempos and enough musical changes to keep me guessing and earn that "genre-defying" label.

Flamingods
A last-minute addition to the bill I wasn't familiar with them but had heard some applaud the announcement. Despite my open mind I couldn't really get into them as they seemed to be jam-band that just wandered rather than leading me to any musical heights. When their finale seemed to be winding down I turned to leave and did not look back when after a few moments pause they picked back up into more of the same.

Spiritualized have apparently been gazing into the galaxy for ages, as have I, and yet I've never caught a glimpse of them. Friends were pumped for this and I'll admit there were moments of grace and beauty, as J. Spaceman guided the journey via his guitar from his seated position. Across from him was a line of guitarists which layered all on top of each other. Furthermore there were three women raising their voices to the heavens while performing synchronized shimmies, and a drummer. It was quite ethereal and worked under the stars of the late summer evening. Familiar with I'm Your Man it stood out though the rest seemed to all come back around in a similar vein. The most disappointing part was that they closed on a long-winded take on a gospel song that did not pack much punch.

Someone from the Green Man Festival had post that Jockstrap was a standout for them which is why I ducked out of Spiritualized to give them a try. Wasn't worth the two minute walk over to the tent for a smorgasbord of "art" that was all a load of crap. Nobody needs a multi-minute flute solo, the very reverbed rap of the lead female singer hit no marks, meanwhile the four-piece string section went essentially untouched. The final straw was when they played for about 30 seconds before being cut out completely and returning to the flute. What a load of shite.

Spielbergs, Yr Poetry, Wood & Nails - Sunflower Sep 21/'19

S

Speilbergs were a strong musical presence, with blistering rock music coming out of their drum, bass, guitar, keys and massive hair. They weren't overly animated but sounded great, almost recreating a good chunk of their debut album This is Not the End (maybe even in order?) The biggest disappointment was that after already having their venue downgraded from the Flapper the room was only partly filled which perhaps contributed to the singer cutting a song towards the end of the set before wrapping up in under 40 minutes. In conversation he claimed to be getting over a bad cold though blaming the lacklustre music support from the Brummie indie scene on a Saturday night might still be appropriate.


Yr Poetry were not something that I thought I was going to like at first blush. Perhaps it was that they were just a guitar and drum duo and I thought the previous act, Wood & Nails, deserved the sweeter opening slot or perhaps it was the singer's voice and demeanour. However, I very quickly warmed up to them and all of those things flipped to be positives. Their songwriting was surprisingly varied despite the basic instrumentation and the guitar-neck-only playing through his pedals sounded surprisingly excellent. Apparently they were/are members of Johnny Foreigner which meant nothing to me but might to you.

Wood & Nails came out and instantly sounded like a bunch of great bands all at once, not in a generic way but a familiar way that drew me to them instantly. I tried to play spot the influences but couldn't put my finger on it.. maybe something like The Ataris? Regardless all four appeared as polished and poised musicians playing earnest indie punk rock and I loved the entire set.






Mutt were on when I got in and I quickly realized I'd seen them rather recently opening for Press Club. That time I'd given them a full chance but had found their female-fronted rock sound to be very straightforward with little to differentiate it or interest me so I bowed out after a song.

Glass Ceilings, Myriam Adams, La Dharma, Crymson - Hare & Hounds - Aug 11/'19

Glass Ceilings were a split gender four piece. The bassist was business like in her playing while the guitarist happily played his parts. I wish the singer had shown some more pizzazz or stepped up the vocals that were audible but could have used some oomph. Their music is great and I enjoyed the 8 or so song set though it didn't feel like it brought anything more than is already on record. All in all I wouldn't go out of my way to catch them again, at least not until there's new music released.

Myriam Adams - A bunch of kids but sounded pretty sharp and the music popped. Singer definitely had a presence and though I only caught the final two songs it was enough to make me wish I'd arrived earlier. For the closer they tried to get the crowd jumping and to be fair it kind of worked out, even if supplemented strongly with friends and family.

La Dharma - This four piece make some really slick, slightly synthy, pop rock with their shoegaze guitar but rock elements otherwise, stemming in part from their intense drummer. Fronted by a guy that could probably do a decent 1975 karaoke, who also tickled some keys, they went through about 7 proper tunes that everyone seemed to enjoy, in as laid back way. Highlights were Sirens and Need Me to Know You early from the EP, but their "most dance" tune, Perfume, was also a treat and Devil was a perfect way to close out. 

Crymson - Four lads playing some reasonably straightforward pop rock. Nothing super compelling recorded from what I had heard and the live show started off with me wondering if I'd be bored too. Once their gimmicky outfits - a sailor shirt and baby sailor hat, sunglasses drummer etc. wore off after 30 seconds it was time for the music to fill the room. Granted it didn't smash expectations but I didn't leave and the second last song featured some standout drumming, nicely interspersed with the guitar work. The last songwas catchy enough to get the crowd moving so they did alright.