Given recent news and recommendations from the band, let's continue playing catch-up on local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT's activity in recent months! Last time we talked about Spades, they had finished up two Southern Ontario gigs opening for Random Killing in mid-July, after which they took a month+ break from the stage. Their final show of the summer season was on August 31st, when they opened for Gag Order & A.S.O.P. at Bar 379 in Peterborough, and unlike their July gigs, they did give this concert the vertical recap video treatment for their Facebook page! I'd still prefer seeing videos of full songs shot horizontally, especially given the addition of Matthew Voros to their lineup, but hey, at least this isn't a "Reel". The video features the guys driving to Bar 379, mingling outside, setting up for their set, and even reenacting a moment/meme from The Simpsons, before we see clips of them on stage with live audio!
Nice to hear a snippet of "Sewer City Radio" there, as brief as it is! The video ends with the guys hanging out post-set and remarking on some of the surprising things that they saw and found in Peterborough that day. Quality video that has a little something for all Spades GT fans and some amusement within, so check this out for yourselves below!
Conspicuous by his absence from the Peterborough concert & recap video is bassist James Roy Daley (Matthew played bass there instead), and we can now confirm that he has parted ways with Spades GT. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, other than to say that "we have had guys come and go". James had played with Spades since the beginning of 2023, and featured on their "Sewer City Radio" EP and their most recent local gig (last August's Josey Scott concert at The Rink), but remember that he was always busy with multiple other projects, bands or otherwise. I wonder if his leaving the band was part of why he pulled out of his solo set at the Northern Vibe Festival last month? Hopefully all is well & amicable with Killroy going forward, as he is a talented artist! The former Jack Spades are seeking a new permanent bassist ("THE GUY", as it were), so who/what are they looking for?
They must be punctual, have a professional attitude & work ethic, and have their own professional gear as well. If you want to audition or inquire within, contact the band at the above links or by e-mailing drummer Tyler Reiner at reinerpd@yahoo.ca. Of course, local readers should remember that the band relaunched in Barrie in late 2021 (and primarily jam/rehearse in North York), so this will be far more amenable to musicians currently living in the GTA. Hopefully J.D., Daniel, Matt, and Tyler find the right bassist soon! Just over a week after the Peterborough concert, Tyler starred in this Facebook update video where he hyped up their shows opening for The Exploited in Toronto and Ottawa earlier this month, thanked promoter Steve Hoeg for booking them on multiple concerts down south, and confirmed that "The Beard" (a.k.a. former Spades guitarist Jay Sarrazin) would be returning to fill in on bass for the Exploited shows!Of course, Jay first served as their fill-in bassist after Daniel Rodbard's departure in mid-2022 (including at that year's Northern Vibe), before moving to second guitar for shows in early 2023 and recording on two songs on "Sewer City Radio". It's good to see Jay back with the guys (including his old Caym bandmate Tyler), even if temporarily, so look for him in videos from this month's dates! Tyler also confirmed that they do indeed have another hometown gig booked in Barrie on November 8th (a cancer fundraiser for Battlescarred frontman Ray Galica), but details are still forthcoming. Good & detailed updates, so check it out below!
After one more Tyler-starring teaser video to hype the Exploited concert in Toronto the next day, the guys did rock Lee's Palace as one of the opening bands for the British hardcore punk legends on Friday the 13th, and again in Ottawa at The Brass Monkey the following day! Both bills also included recent Stellar Door local headliners Total Chaos. Unfortunately, Matthew missed both dates due to an unspecified illness, as revealed by fellow guitarist Daniel Horton in the 11 minutes long recap video covering both of the Exploited concerts from this month. Much to my happy surprise, it's horizontal too! The video starts with the guys arriving at Lee's Palace, loading gear, having a bite to eat, and hanging out pre-show, before we get some all-too-brief clips from their set, but audio of them playing "Rise" can be heard. After we see them chilling after the concert and hitting the road in the middle of the night, we next see their footage from Ottawa the next day.
While much of the Ottawa video is similar to Toronto's (just in a new venue in a new city), we do see them getting breakfast at Denny's and checking out The Exploited's merchandise. No concert footage from Spadres GT's set (nor Spades GT's set) was filmed at The Brass Monkey, allegedly because "every camera in the building malfunctioned". Joke answer or not, the URL for the website to forward complaints to did not work, so now who can I tell? The cameras were all fixed in time to film some of The Exploited & Total Chaos' sets, while we also see Spades & Jay hanging out in & out of the venue, and wrapping things up at the hotel, where they hinted at a likely return to Ottawa in 2025. There's definitely a lot to see here ("camera malfunctions" aside), and it does look like both concerts were big hits for hardcore punk fans in the capitals, so check everything out for yourselves below, and hopefully Matt got better soon!
As best as I can tell, we are now caught up for Spades GT content on the SMS, barring anything fan shot or posted that the band hasn't re-shared on social media! They don't have any announced gigs until the fundraiser in Barrie in November, so we'll have to see how the fall continues to shake out for the guys, let alone their bassist search. Stay tuned for updates in any event, and for more news on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
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