THe Kiss and Tells at the Black Bull NXNE June 7, 2007 - photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
Night one began with a long streetcar ride to the Black Bull on Queen St. West. Drawing me to the "Bull" were the
Kiss and Tells. What a fantastic way to start my night. They are a combination of No Doubt, Storm Large, Judy Garland, and Hole. The beautiful Kait Do-It in her barely holding on strapless dress and, most-recent recruit, guitarist Wyatt Burton resplendent in his red-tracksuit-that-came-to-him-in-a-dream treated us to 40 minutes of show-tunes dripping with sex and distortion.
Cities in Dust a the Silver Dollar Room NXNE June 7, 2007 photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
At $7.00 a beer (WTF!?!?!) my time at the Black Bull was limited so I quickly made my way (again by Streetcar) up Bathurst to the Annex Wreckroom to catch
The Flatliners and
Hostage Life.
The Flatliners were new to me. I'd been hearing a fair bit of buzz about them, and that's why I made an effort to see their set. What I saw were good songs, performed well, but an otherwise unfocused and sloppy set. The Flatliners music is a hybrid punk, hardcore, ska with just enough hooks and catchy guitar riffs to draw you in. Hostage Life were next. This is a more pure punk with some great hooks. These guys command the stage and put on a great set (what I saw of it anyways). I wanted to get to the Silver Dollar Room to see Cities In Dust so I had to weigh missing the end of Hostage Life or the beginning of Cities. Flip an imaginary coin..... Cities In Dust it is.
Man I'm glad I made that decision. Zach and the boys put on a short (maybe 15 minutes) intense set which had Zach spending most of his time off the stage on the glass covered beer soaked floor and on the bar. When I say on the floor, I mean laying on it, rolling on it, falling over tables, and culminating with him puking on it.
Night 1, a success. I hope Zach's ok though.