Review of X-mas show on Friday Dec.21
The small town show, what is there to say about it that
everybody doesn't already know? some good bands and some shitty bands.
hicks, punks, thugs and mothers all gathered in a room with
lots of amps, few smoke detectors and a floor that feels like
it was going to give if one more person enters the room.
As for this particular show, it promised to be the best one yet
in an ongoing series of shows around the area. The bands included
Undone, Curb, Entropy, Off The Mark, and hip-hop group Rising Suns.
This was the first local show to have a live hip-hop act, which is
a welcome alternative to the many indi bands usually playing.
Me and two friends of mine had been inside for about an hour
before people started to flood in, each stopping at the card table
with a cashbox on it to pay the $10 cover ($5 with proper ID). After
this I sat around for an hour while everyone discussed the possibility
of purchasing beer from the bar. Finally the first band came on, Curb,
who had driven all the way from Toronto. They were are poppy punk band
with lyrics about growing up, losing friends, and girls. At least their
drummer was good. They played a short set; and were gone, no one called
for an encore, a dozen people clapped.
Next was the much-anticipated Off The Mark, a band from
Feversham, Ontario who now reside in London, Ontario but still manage
to make the drive up for every show. They are the real deal, a 3
piece punk outfit that blend the perfect music smoothie of sweet emo,
bitter politics and ripe guitar solos. If Ontario has a chance to
contribute something to the punk music scene, Off The Mark is it.
They opened with a new song off an up coming CD. The punkers tried to
start a pit but the jocks and thugs thought things would be better if
everyone just stood there bobbing their heads, this limited the pit to
about a dozen people tops. They played a great set and ended with
people requesting "Feversham", a ballad about the bands hometown.
After a half hour intermission, local hip-hop group Rising Suns
took the stage and began to warm-up. Some people took this chance to
hit the bar, others decided to sag their pants and move up closer to
the stage. About 150 people were inside by now, and still growing.
I don't know a lot, a lot about hip-hop and I'm not going to pretend I do,
but I think they were good. After their set a couple people started
break dancing, this form of dance was welcomed by the crowd which now
was a group of over 200.
Soon after Rising Suns the cops showed up and half the people
left (including me). This made me miss the other bands, in my opinion
this was not a tragedy. The easygoing attitude of the bartender
more than made up for the steep cover charge.
One final note:
Punk is not dead, but it is dying, and all the "punks" at this show
were to fini to notice, or care.
.James. |
