LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sneaky Pete) And The Merves/Frightlight Concert Review!!

I apologize for this being late, we got caught up in some stuff yesterday. This post is mostly focused on our latest concert review (our first of 2012 too), but leading things off, we do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's all that you need to know on this Monday morning!

Local hard rock quartet Sneaky Pete will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY at The Rockstar Bar! In what looks like a one-night-only appearance, this talented veteran quartet will play their first show of the new year, their first public concert in almost three months, and first Rockstar Bar date in almost five months on Saturday, for what should be a hard hitting night of covers and good times! It's always good to see them back on stage, it's been too long, so don't forget about this latest Sneaky Pete concert! The show will start at 10:30 PM on Saturday night, you must be 19 to attend, and I'd expect there to be a cover of around $5, so don't come with empty pockets. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This sounds like a solid concert, and if things fall in to place, hopefully I can finally make it out to see Sneaky Pete this weekend! Stay tuned for more updates as they come in, and keep an eye out for another possible first show of the year from another classic-leaning hard rock band this weekend as well!

Now to the concert review, as I was in attendance for the Merves/Frightlight concert on Saturday night, and my first concert in way too long! A good (and growing) crowd was on hand for the opening band, that being Frightlight, who had a whole set of Misfits covers in store for fans in their Canadian Nightclub debut! Not an original in sight, but how'd they sound? Pretty good! Along with familiar covers like "Helena", "We Are 138", and "Dig Up Her Bones", Frightlight threw in lots of newer or previously unheard Misfits covers like 'Die, Die My Darling", "She", and "Hybrid Moments", and they did them justice for the most part! Johnny Pints' vocals started to get strained as the set went on, but I can't complain too much. Guest guitarist Tiffany Stocco handled everything well and fit in with the rest of the band, and Rick Styles seamlessly took over the drums in Chris FreakNStein's absence himself, so there was no worries on the lineup front! My big problem was that they went too short, and it'd have been cool to have heard covers of songs like "Last Caress" or "Where Eagles Dare", but Frightlight's one-night Misfits-only set was definitely fun, and hopefully they're back on stage sooner than later!

Headlining this Saturday night punkfest was Toronto's own The Merves, featuring prominent local musician (and Lion Ride frontman) Mikey Hawdon on vocals & guitar. It's been almost seven months since we've seen Mikey front a band locally, so it was good to see him back in town! Notably, The Merves operated as a trio last night, as guitarist Keith Carman was absent for unannounced reasons, but did that impact their set at all? Not a lot, but certain songs did sound emptier without the second guitar. Now, I'm admittedly not a scholar of The Ramones, but I like many of their songs and appreciate their musical impact, and I think that The Merves did a solid job last night covering their classics! Mikey's singing voice still screams Lion Ride more than Joey Ramone when you hear The Merves, but they handled Ramones classics like "53rd & 3rd", "Psycho Therapy", and "Suzy Is A Headbanger" very nicely! Phil Page's bass work was solid throughout their set, and Andrew McMullen (who replaced the Sault's Mark Rand in The Merves last year) was great on drums himself! That said, it'd have been nice to include a second guitar, but the big crowd and loud reception spoke for itself! Very nice set of Ramones classics, and hopefully Mikey's back with one of his projects soon!

Overall, if you love old school punk, you'd have been right at home at this concert! Both The Merves and Frightlight did justice to the classics, and though things only really got heavy during Frightliht's set, you can't argue with a great night of punk rock! I got a bunch of photos on Saturday, so click here to check them out or visit our official Facebook page! I apologize for forgetting to get a "Tag Yourself!" photo, it never crossed my mind, and I especially regret it knowing the crowd that was at The Canadian on the weekend! I did get a video though, so here's Frightlight's cover of The Misfits' "Helena"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the week and our first "Favourite ___ of 2011" poll on Tuesday, plus last month's poll results! Thanks everyone!