Well, I'm back from last night's metal/punk show at The Canadian Nightclub, and my review of it is the bulk of today's post, but first, here's a brief note on another concert this weekend. Apparently, classic hard rockers That's Chester will feature a special guest for their set at Docks TONIGHT, that being Brad Stephen, who plays bass in the local country band Bone Yard with That's Chester's Greg Simpson & Ric Datson. My source is Ric's personal Facebook page, and I assume Brad's filling in for Aubrey Falls for this gig, but I'm not 100% positive. So if you're going to see That's Chester tonight, take note of the lineup difference, but Brad has chemistry and a history with the guys, and he should fit in well tonight! Now, to my concert review! So last night's show was supposed to be headlined by Victoria, B.C. sleaze rockers The Lust Boys (notably with guitarist Benny Blitz's homecoming), but as their tour vehicle broke down 5 hours outside of town, they couldn't make it here in time, so the show was pushed back to 9:00 PM. Wouldn't you know it, but I was still late, though when your dog's back legs seem to stop working, that sorta becomes your focus (get well soon, DJ!)
So I made it to The Canadian during Pools of Booze's set, but I still caught a lot of them, so how do they sound? Well, they are essentially a one-off act featuring the members of local punk band T. Rex Manning, with bassist Bill "Orthae" Bennett handling lead vocals in place of the absent J.D. Pearce. I have yet to see T. Rex Manning live, so I don't know how their sound would compare to Pools of Booze last night, but from what I saw, they covered Misfits, Ramones, Volbeat, Judas Priest, and Tool material, and were honestly heavier than I assumed they'd be going in! Bill handled vocals decently for the songs he sang lead on, and Tiffany Stocco & Daniel MacDonald handled the guitar and drums solidly, but I found that their best covers were the punk songs that they did, rather than heavier metal material. Again, I don't know if their set last night was basically the same as T. Rex Manning's, but they had a good flow and the crowd responded well to them! Also of note, guests sang with them last night on a couple of tracks, including Giwakwa frontman Jason Bourcier on a cover of The Misfits' "Skulls", and all the members of Late & Loud on a cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law"! Not bad at all, but hopefully I'll be seeing T. Rex Manning in full soon as well!
Following them were the returning Dirty Virgin, in their first show in 11 months and just their second gig in over 2 years! Their early 2009/2011 lineup was back last night, and they unleashed an entertaining set of covers and originals, with renditions of Kiss, Poison, Joe South, Sex Pistols, and AC/DC material mixed with originals like "She's Hot", "She Wants Some", and "Take You Hard", among others. It was good hearing this stuff again, and they definitely haven't lost a step from their 2009 incarnation! They strike a good balance between glam rock and punk, and they generally played songs that fit their sound and range (though I still don't think "Money Talks" fits Bobby Clement's style of singing.) Ryan Spin's guitar work was really good, as was Lionel Quinton's bass playing, and the whole band seemed to click well last night, which definitely helped get lots of fans dancing and grooving on the floor during their set! They probably had the most activity from fans of the three bands, which is a good sign, and the fan participation during their encore was fun! Hopefully this encourages further Dirty Virgin activity this year, as I'd like to see them stay together and not wait another year to hit the stage! Welcome back, guys!
Headlining last night's show was local classic metal quartet Late & Loud, and they delivered a fun set of originals and covers for their fans last night! You know they have a following when a fan in a wheelchair makes it to the front of the stage, AND takes his shirt off when the rest of the band does! With my dog's health issues, I didn't stay the full night just in case he got worse, but I still caught a lot of Late & Loud action, and they rocked the house down, even giving The Lust Boys a nice shoutout! Though their biggest downfall is still in vocals, they at least sang to their strengths on originals like "Live For Excess", "Machine Gun Maiden", and "Whisper of the Damned", while also throwing in some welcome covers, and the fans that were left responded well! They had loads of energy and some swagger, and their talents were as impressive as ever, especially on Brendan Christie's guitar solos! Josh Hatherley's drumming was on form too, and Jonathan Tiberi & Benn Garside rocked on guitar & bass themselves! Excellent set from what I saw, and hopefully the camcorder footage I saw being shot of their set makes it online at some point too!That was an entertaining concert, and it sets the scene nicely for much more metal action at the Ypres Metal Fest next week! I did get photos & videos last night, though I apologize for the lack of photos and some quality issues with them. My charger cable for my usual camera is still in the mail, so it's out of commission until I get it back, and I had to use a spare borrowed camera last night. As such, each photo has a date watermark in the lower left, and I took less pictures in case there was a battery drainage issue. Also, the videos are standard definition & blur when zooming in & out, which is slightly annoying, but the quality holds up otherwise! Check out my photos at this location or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Pools of Booze covering the Volbeat song of the same name, Dirty Virgin playing their song "Take You Hard", and Late & Loud playing their song "Heavy or Bust"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned TONIGHT for my review of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" finally! Thanks everyone!
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