Last Month's Poll Results & Our Poll On Your Favourite Concerts From All Of 2015!!

It's now time to shut down last month's poll and launch our new one, so let's start with reminding everyone of the question that we posed on the SMS last month: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert in the second half of 2015? We only received 10 votes, which is disappointingly low given the number of major concerts from July-December, but there is a clear winner, so here's the final tally!

Fuck The Facts at The Oddfellows Hall on Sept. 20th (4 votes, 40%)
SNFU & Jack Spades at The Rockstar Bar on July 24th (2 votes, 20%)
Other (2 votes, 20%)
Diemonds at The Rednecks Saloon on August 21st (1 vote, 10%)
The Golers & Shit Liver at The New A on August 9th (1 vote, 10%)
Rotaryfest Stage 2 at Clergue Park on July 18th (0 votes)
Vesperia & Ruptured Birth at The Algonquin Pub on July 23rd (0 votes)
Musicfest in Batchewana Bay on August 1st (0 votes)
The Red Rails & Late Shift at The Rockstar Bar on August 29th (0 votes)
Evilheart at The Algonquin Pub on September 21st (0 votes)
Soup Kitchen Benefit at The Algonquin Pub on October 3rd (0 votes)
Soo Zombie Walk at Bushplane Museum on October 24th (0 votes)
The Ripcordz at The Algonquin Pub on October 24th (0 votes)
Halloween Party at The Algonquin Pub on October 30th (0 votes)
That's Chester in Tommy at The Machine Shop in November (0 votes)
K'Man & The 45s at The New American Pub on November 8th (0 votes)
Hells Bells at The Rockstar Bar on November 14th (0 votes)
Sabrina Pelchat Benefit at Rednecks on November 20th (0 votes)
The Pixo Control's CD Release Shows at LopLops on Dec. 12th (0 votes)
Tidal Records' Year-End Party at The Rockstar Bar on Dec. 18th (0 votes)
Shit Liver & AlgomA at The New A on December 23rd (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Sadly, with only 10 votes, we have a lot of choices in the poll that got no responses, including such major concerts at The Ripcordz and The Pixo Control's CD release shows, the Sabrina Strange benefit, and the return of Rotaryfest's Second Stage, but it's all in who votes! A single vote found it's way to last year's Golers and Diemonds shows, which is a little surprising given the shows that didn't get any attention here, but both bands are local favourites that have played here multiple times each, and have their own fanbases here! A second place tie with 2 votes went to last year's SNFU concert and "Other", and while I can't speak for the voters on the latter, SNFU's return was long awaited and very well received! However, the winner of the half-year poll was September's Fuck The Facts-headlined concert at The Oddfellows Hall, which (as of today) sent Heavy North Entertainment out on a high note, and was a solid blast of death metal!

Thanks to everyone for voting, of course, but we're not done yet! As we have done to end our past "favourite _____ of the year" polls, we're closing things with the summative final post on this question: "What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2015?" We have combined the vote-getting shows from last month's poll on late 2015, July 2015's poll from last year's first half, and "Other" for one final showdown from across the whole year, so if a show you'd rather vote for isn't listed, blame the absence of votes from it's half year poll, but consider "Other"! So, what was your favourite concert of all of 2015? Here are your 13 choices!

Bands: Project 421, Haggith, and The Danger Cats
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: January 23rd, 2015
Info: One of the first major hard rock shows of 2015 saw three high profile bands join forces, including classic metal quartet Project 421, one of Haggith's last shows with then-guitarist Daniel Horton, and the now-defunct all female punk/alternative quartet The Danger Cats, who were featured on a Tuned episode from this show! Was this early show your favourite of 2015?

Bands: Gnaeus, The Bear Hunters, Mannapool, The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Danger Cats, Haggith, Honest Job, Infamous, Mike Haggith & The Din, Project 421, Stereo North, and The Pixo Control
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: March 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th, 2015
Info: The Tidal Records-sponsored VM Radio Battle of the Bands brought the biggest multi-night battle of recent memory to The Canadian on each Wednesday last March, where Gnaeus edged out The Bear Hunters by two points for their second battle victory of the month! Also featuring a memorable debut by the four-piece Apocalypse Afterparty, a teddy bear slaughter, and a well received guest appearance by The Pixo Control, was this battle your favourite concert of early 2015?

Bands: Benighted, Bookakee, The Bear Hunters, Bad Back, (Mike Haggith &) The Din, Rotopsy, Crucify The Whore, and Them
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: March 7th, 2015
Info: Heavy North Entertainment's only major Oddfellows Hall concert of early 2015 saw French grindcore band Benighted & Montreal theatrical metal favourites Bookakee headline a stacked lineup of Blood Shed Productions favourites and other notable heavier talent, including one of the first non-house party appearances by Them, and some Bookakee displays that had to be seen to be believed! Was this your favourite gig of 2015?

Bands: Anvil, Jack Spades, and Project 421
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 1st, 2015
Info: This was no April Fools joke, as Toronto metal legends Anvil rocked The Rockstar Bar on April 1st, with their new lineup complimented well by local punk/metal standouts Jack Spades and classic metal quartet Project 421's own attack! Though more intimate than Anvil's past Canadian Nightclub shows, their pounders responded well, but were you among them?

Bands: Gnaeus, Sykotyk Rampage, Skeyes of Seven, Faceityoureametalband, Northwest, The Bear Hunters, Haggith, Brutally Fatal, Infinity Grinder, and open mic performers
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 9th, 2015
Info: The 5th annual Swampstravaganza moved to The Canadian Nightclub for it's 2015 installment, and once again united an eclectic group of performers, including the only live concert from Faceityoureametalband, an increasingly rare set from Sykotyk Rampage, Skeyes of Seven's first show in two years, and one of Haggith's last concerts. Were you there to vouch for this event?

Bands: Caym, Jack Spades, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The Algonquin Pub
Date: May 15th, 2015
Info: Tidal Records & J.D. Pearce's debut installment of last year's Gonqshow concert series saw Toronto extreme metal band Caym make their return to the Soo for a headlining concert at The Algonquin Pub, with familiar faces in Jack Spades & The Bear Hunters opening things with their own aggressive originals! Was the Gonqshow's premiere your favourite of the year?

Bands: The Archaics, The Pixo Control, Gnaeus, and The Danger Cats
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: June 1st, 2015
Info: The first of two local concerts from Edmonton garage/blues rock quartet The Archaics last year saw Six, Two, Oh. stack the deck with a quality local opening lineup with The Pixo Control, Gnaeus, and the last regular concert appearance by The Danger Cats to compliment The Archaics' own entertaining alt-originals! Was this your top concert of 2015?

Bands: Long Shot, Project 421, Stereo North, and Caroline Divine
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 26th, 2015
Info: The Rockstar Bar hosted this multi-band concert (entitled their "Summer Bash") at the end of June 2015, featuring four newer and rising local punk and hard rock bands, including Speak Easy battle runner-ups Long Shot (with guest drummer Brendan Garlick), the debut of Project 421's current drummer Chris Thompson, and more! Did you take to this show more than others here?

Bands: SNFU, Jack Spades, and Destroilet
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 24th, 2015
Info: In a show that was just too big for the downstairs pub, this Gonqshow event moved upstairs to The Rockstar Bar for Vancouver hardcore punk legends SNFU's first local concert in six years, with Chi Pig and company playing their classic album "...And No One Else Wanted to Play" in it's entirety! Featuring strong local support and a huge crowd, did this top 2015 to you?

Bands: The Golers, AlgomA, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver
Venue: The New American Pub
Date: August 9th, 2015
Info: Two years removed from their mid-2013 shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel, Vancouver thrashers The Golers made their long awaited return to Sault Ontario for a crushing night of metal at The New American Pub last August, with local/St. Catharines' grindcore trio Shit Liver making a late notice homecoming as the night's opening band! Did this all add up to make you cast your vote here?

Bands: Diemonds, The Bear Hunters, and Jack Spades
Venue: The Rednecks Saloon
Date: August 21st, 2015
Info: Already fan favourites from their two prior headlining appearances in the Soo, Toronto hard rock quintet Diemonds made their own return after a couple of years away for a night of hard hitting and energetic originals, with local favourites The Bear Hunters and Jack Spades more than up to the task as openers! Did this Rednecks show earn your vote in this month's poll?

Bands: Fuck The Facts, The Bear Hunters, Jack Spades, AlgomA, and Crucify the Whore
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: September 20th, 2015
Info: The last concert (to date?) from Heavy North Entertainment saw Ottawa grindcore veterans Fuck The Facts rock the local stage once again for a ferocious set, with a talented local lineup in support, with punk, death, doom, and grind for all comers! All ages Oddfellows shows only just returned this month, but did Fuck The Facts and company earn you their vote?

Other: Did we miss something? For reference, artists like Aggressive Acoustic, Ballot Burner, Beaumont Avenue, Biipiigwan, The Billy Bastards, Broomfiller, Calling All Captains, The Cover-Up, Destroyer, Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide, Elements, The Elements, Eternal Prophecy, Evilheart, Exes For Eyes, Garden of Bedlam, Gatgas, Griphook, Hard Up, Havadder, Hells Bells, Id Iota, IRN, K'Man & The 45s, Late Shift, Lie Among Us, Lucky 13, The Man & His Machine, Michael Mikus, Mourning Wood, The Nailheads, One Bad Son, Out of the Ruins, Redundant, The Ripcordz, The River Jacks, RPM, The Rude-Offs, Ruptured Birth, Sandman, Saturn Alien, Stiffler's Mom, Stinkbox, Teethmarks, Telephone & Address, That's Chester, Treble Charger, Tym Morrison, Vesperia, The Wild, and Zaum all rocked a local stage in 2015 via shows that didn't make this poll, not to mention shows featuring bands in the above choices. If, for whatever reason, your favourite local concert of 2015 isn't listed, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until May 18th to cast your votes, and hopefully there's a better turnout this month as we close up our year-end polls at last! That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post shortly! Thanks everyone!