The Crimson Tides at the Under Dog. May 23, 2007 - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
Night 1:
You gotta hand it to Brian, the
Fat Liger himself, he puts together some cool shows. Wednesday night's lineup consisted of a jam band, progressive metal, vicious punk, and solo electronica.
First on the bill was an unnamed impromptu jam band comprised of members of some local bands such as the
Jamsexuals and
Gagner. I missed most of their set, but it seemed like a nice non-commital way to start the night.
Next on little stage at the Under Dog were
Paraesthesia. A local Peterborough band, they play plodding (in a good way) metal that immediately brought to mind the Misfits and Black Sabbath. On their myspace page they list an eclectic collection of influences, and many of these are evident in their music while still maintaining a specific direction and style. This is a band I'd like to catch again.
Paraesthesia at The Under Dog. May 23, 2007 - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
The Crimson Tides out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, simply killed. They perform with an intensity only seen in punk music. Five second songs, banter about getting punched in the head at a Rammer show ,and the bassist's recent (unrelated?) head injury, broken bottles and the little girl and her beer landing on me while I tried to get some photos made for a great time.
Rounding out this schizophrenic lineup was
A/V, a solo dj-punk-dance-electronica act. Though not necessarily my cup of tea, it was pretty cool. This guy rocked while playing sequencers, something I didn't know could be done.
Night 2:
Man it was hot on Thursday, and even when temps had dropped in the evening, the Red Dog hung on to the staggering heat like it was a badge of honour.
Blackjacket at The Red Dog. May 24, 2007 - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
I had specifially attended this show in the hopes of seeing the Brat Attack. They are a
very political punk band from Manitoba who are singed to Underground Operations records (UO). I haven't met a UO band I didn't like and I had high hopes for TBA. Shortly after my arrival at 10:00 pm Brian (the fat liger you'll recall from earlier) broke the bad news that the Brat Attack van had broken down and they wouldn't be making it. Oh well, I was here already and there were still three other bands raring to play. Hopefully an audience will show up soon?
At about 11, the first band took the stage. The crowd was a little thin but
Blackjacket still gave 100 percent. Dreads flyin' everywhere and skinny white boys without t-shirts. The music brought to mind old-school hardcore. Me like.
The Embarrassments at the Red Dog. May 24, 2007 - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
The Embarrassments were next and they were the highlight of the night. This is pure punk with a tiny bit of a pop edge to it. Kinda how I would imagine Green Day if they hadn't made millions and sucked for a decade. The stage show was intense, energetic and most of the band, including the female bass player, were shirtless and drenched in sweat only a few minutes into the set.
The last band of the night were local boys
Little Dig. Their first song seemed a bit of a struggle with the singer and drummer looking at each other for cues, but the rest of the set seemed to go off without a hitch. The mosh pit came alive during Little Dig and it was a good finale to a night dedicated to punk.
Thanks again to Brian and the staff at the Red Dog for having me at the show.