The Ripcordz & Locals Concert Review!!

Hey guys, it's time for my review of last night's Ripcordz show, but also make sure to check out our all-Sault Michigan auto-post from this morning below this review! Last night was my second concert downstairs at The Algonquin Pub since they returned to metal & punk bookings, and the crowd was definitely much larger than at the Halloween weekend gig last year, but with The Ripcordz coming back, that was to be expected! Defintely one of the largest crowds I've encountered at an Algonquin Hotel venue, and by the end of the night, it was very packed!

Opening last night's festivities was local punk/metal quartet T-Rex Manning in their first show since November (their one off turn as The Fiend Brigade in February aside), and they put in another fun set of varied covers to kick off the show! Along with plenty of Misfits renditions, they also covered everything from Motorhead and Judas Priest to The Ramones and The Bloodhound Gang, with the Judas Priest cover serving as a makeup for frontman J.D. Pearce and drummer Rick White's botched attempt at "Breaking The Law" with a late-era Fitswitch lineup at the 2007 Ripcordz show. As I've come to expect from T-Rex Manning, the guys put in a solid effort, with talent all around, and Rick fits in nicely on drums, but the vocals were very quiet in the mix, especially Tiffany Stocco's backing work. I'd also love to see/hear some more original songs in T-Rex Manning's repertoire. "She Banged The Mayor" is right up there with Fitswitch & Frightlight's best originals to me, so why not build on that with some more? Hopefully it'll be T-Rex Manning Day again on the local stage soon!

Next up last night was the long awaited return of Destroilet, in their first live concert in over 2 years, but was their comeback worth the wait? I'd say so! Their set included every track from their new CD (except their cover of "Mile 58") and 7 additional covers, including everyone from Hank Williams III and The Descendents to The Dayglo Abortions and Gang Green, and it definitely didn't feel like they'd been away for so long! As an example, it's still hard as ever to get clear shots of them with how much they move and make use of the floor, but fans definitely ate it up! Musically, the guys were on form, with some very solid old school hardcore riffs from John Conway & Christian Foisy, and Mike Hull's hard-edged singing fit the material very well, but as the set went on, he voice did noticeably tire out and get quieter (though the backing vocals helped out a lot by then.) You can tell Destroilet's return was a success thanks to them securing the first moshpits of the night (and from Ripcordz frontman Paul Gott donning a Destroilet shirt for their set), and I can back up those sentiments thanks to their hardcore punk fury! Here's hoping we're not waiting until 2015 for their next show!

Headlining last night's show was Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz in their first local show since 2007, and I must have underestimated how heavy they are, as they tore through a blistering set of about 20 songs that definitely dipped into hardcore & metal territory often! Classics like "Your Mother Wears Army Boots", "Elvis Death Cult", and "You Are Not Alone" definitely got this raucus crowd going with some big pits and a great reception throughout! Musically, of J.D.'s recent major metal/punk headlining bands in town, The Ripcordz are right near the top for musical quality, with Paul Gott's voice & guitar work still holding up really well compared to the albums (if a bit deeper), while new bassist Matty Fortyfive proved more than up to the task during their set! Though somewhat to the point, the guys had a lot of energy and clear love for the local crowd, and a clear impression was made, as always! Overall, great set from The Ripcordz, and hopefully we won't be waiting another 5 years for their next local show!

Another winner of a concert, and if you missed it, you definitely missed out! As for at least one report of an altercation at the end of the night, I didn't witness it, and even if I did, I try and keep negative stories like that off of the site out of respect to all parties. Check out my photos of the event (plus a "Tag Yourself!" crowd shot) at our Facebook page, and check out some great shots of the show from both the 705 Video Magazine's Facebook page (sans T-Rex Manning) and The Ripcordz' own Facebook page! (No word on possible SooToday coverage or videos from the 705VM.) As for videos, here's T-Rex Manning covering The Ramones' "53rd & 3rd" and The Misfits' "Bullet", Destroilet covering The Descendents' "I'm Not A Loser" & The Adolescents' "L.A. Girl", and The Ripcordz playing their song "Hardcore"!







That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow night featuring a new local band and a new concert featuring two long awaited metal band returns! Thanks everyone!