Lights at the Sound Academy (more photos...) photo by Clint Gilders - staff photographer |
by clint gilders - clubkingsnake staff
April 25, 2008
The Sound Academy (formerly The Docks). Toronto, Ontario
There was a weird vibe surrounding The Sound Academy when I arrived for the co-headliner Protest The Hero/Chiodos show. I wasn't in a bad mood so I don't think it was transference on my part. Au contrair, I've been excited about this tour, dubbed "Beer The Musical", since I heard about it well over a month ago. Also when I mentioned my felling to a few others they pretty much agreed and were glad it wasn't just them. After some serious consideration (lord knows I must have spent 10 minutes thinking about it) I think it may just be growing pains. What was once The Docks is now the Sound Academy, and seems poised to become the go-to venue in Toronto for not-quit-big-enough-to-play-arenas bands.
From First To Last at the Sound Academy (more photos...) photo by Clint Gilders - staff photographer |
The opening act of the night was a recent signing to Underground Operations (UO) going by the name of Lights. UO founder London Spicoluk never ceases to amaze me with his diverse, seemingly out of character signings. Lights plays electro pop with little bit of an edge to it and describes herself as "..a small girl who dwells in Toronto and makes music. Most of what you hear comes out of my bedroom". This description paints a somewhat different picture to the confident, relaxed, powerful woman I met at The Sound Academy. Sure she was a little surprised by the size and fervor of the crowd and even quipped that this was the first time a circle pit had eruptd at one of her shows, but she handled it all in stride.
This was my first exposure to From First To Last. What I can say is that they were, in stark contrast to Lights and the samples of their music I'd heard online, heavy as sh!t and judging from the crowd reaction and the number of FFTL t-shirts I saw on kids coming in they have a good following in Toronto. I know this is a pretty lame description but I dropped my earplugs in the photo pit while shooting them and the sound system at this venue is so powerful, that it borders on the ridiculous, I decided to spend most of their set outside rather than destroy my hearing any more than it is.
Craig of Chiodos at the Sound Academy (more photos...) photo by Clint Gilders - staff photographer |
Chiodos was next. You might not have realized this when the audience began chanting "Protest, Protest, Protest" as the band prepared behind the curtain. I'll chalk this up to a mass-misunderstanding of the lineup rather than the kids being really that mean. We're Canadian remember. Chiodos was heavier than I remember them from the last two times I'd seen them live. A month on the road with FFTL and PTH could have that effect on anyone I guess. We (myself and a handful of other photographers) lasted about a song and a half in the pit before security got sick of dancing with us and catching surfers. The final straw came when lead singer Craig Owens made his signature journey over the barrier into (onto?) the audience. The non-sensical naming of their songs makes it hard to remember what exactly it was that they played, but all the cool stuff was there. I do recall "Intensity in Ten Cities" and "Lexington (Joey Pea-Pot with a Monkey Face)", and "The undertaker's thirst is unquenchable (The Final Battle)".
Luke of Protest The Hero at the Sound Academy (more photos...) photo by Clint Gilders - staff photographer |
After Chiodos the ratio of teenage girls to teenage boys toward the front of the stage dramatically shifted. You knew the metal crowd had now staked their claim. Now the chants of "Protest, Protest, Protest" were not so misguided. This was home ice advantage and Protest worked it. Rody's vocal problems which were so evident on their appearance earlier in the day on Much Music were barely noticeable throughout much of the set. The photo pit was significantly busier with security, photographers and surfers but the security folks seem to have regrouped and we shot our full three songs without incident. The set was heavy with selections from their latest release
Fortress including "Sequoia Throne" (for which they've just released a video), "The Dissentience" and "Palms Read". Favourites "Nautical", and "She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods" from
Kezia also made their requisite appearances. I'd been invited to the VIP balcony to shoot and hang out, so I did just that. I got some cool wide shots with the mayhem in the audience clearly evident. I've been shooting these guys for a while now and from the dismal Dungeon in Oshawa to the huge Sound Academy they are performers without equal. Maybe I'll get to see them at the Air Canada Centre soon. Fingers crossed.