venerdì, giugno 09, 2006

Let it all out

Ah, NXNE. Toronto’s three nights of the year when everyone who’s anyone – and your correspondent is no one unless someone – is indie. It was a good inaugural night.

I saw three acts of varying style and quality, and of them I suppose my least favourite was Jets Overhead of Victoria. They weren’t awful or anything, fine for what it was, but they had the stage presence of slowly rolling Oreos and their music . . . well . . . Lady and I found a dialogue to describe it whilst lounging and drinking, waiting for Priestess to come on – whom see.

Me: They sound like the Cult.
Lady: But they suck.

Pause.

Lady: They sound like U2.
Me: But they suck.

Pause.

Me: They sound like the Arcade Fire.
Lady: But they suck.

Pause.

Me: They sound like a lot of things. But they suck.

Following Jets Overhead was the aforementioned Priestess, of Montréal. It was loud, hard, heavy and sweaty and made me want to hit people in a good way. It was loud, did I mention? Lady and I went up to the centre left to not be right in front of the speakers – J*Fish et all were and complained of deafness afterwards. It was hot. Hot, like, hot. Wow, did I ever want to fuck the bass player. No, actually I didn’t want to fuck him per se, because then he would have had to stop playing the bass. When I think about what I did want from him in more careful terms, I realize it’s too filthy to write in a public forum, even anonymously and even though he wouldn’t have to stop playing to do it. How about that. I’ve found my shame threshold. What an odd place for it.

But for me the highlight of the evening was Japan’s Megababe, a three girl punk group who fucking gave’er for their whole set. The drummer was the darlingest drummer ever since Animal, going fucking apeshit back there and NEVER BREAKING HER SMILE, and the bass player was just straight up hot, hotter than the bass player from Priestess, though perhaps in a less filthy way. Cuteness aside, though, those bitches fucking rocked. The vocals were great, powerful; the percussion what you’d expect if Animal wasn’t just a puppet, and the bass was dayum, to fall back on similes, like a storm of dark maple syrup icicles. Fucking awesome.

I hated the crowd, though. I mean, they were into it in the sense that all the plump aging indie boys - the lurking-filming-not-screaming fanboys - had their digital cameras trained steadily at the stage for the whole set and a rapt look on their face, but they weren’t into it in the sense of trashing shit or, say, moving. And Megababe really manage to make melodic big nasty thrashy bass-y punk that deserves to soundtrack shit being trashed. And they manage to make that look like what they were born to do.

I forget what the NXNE schedule is for tonight – I know King Kahn is in it. I want me some King Kahn. And now to work.

11 commenti:

Masonic Boom ha detto...

Now I've got Shampoo stuck in my head... "Viva las megababes..." I wonder if they were named after that song. Shampoo were HUGE in Japan.

Eeeuuuw, lurking, filming fanboys. They give me the creeping horrors, and almost stopped me doing high kicks onstage because I got sick of waking up and finding pictures of my knickers all over the interweb the next day. Sigh.

"give'er" I love that phrase. SOOO Canadian, but just so perfectly descriptive.

cali ha detto...

I'm pretty sure King Kahn played at the Silver Dollar last night - although they probably are playing again since they came all the way from Germany. I left before they came on though :o)

Sorry we couldn't join you last night - Mr. S and I don't have wristbands so we can't hop around.

Mistress La Spliffe ha detto...

"Give'er" is the only real contribution I can think of that English Canada has made to our collective language, besides the "fack" variation on "fuck", courtesy of Cornwall, Ontario. Which is lame, since French Canadians invented so much for French, like 'fucker'. As in, "câlisse, c'est tout fucké."

And of course there's the exhortations, "give'er like you own'r", and courtesy of the Greater Bowmanville Area, "give'er like you stole'r". The GBA produces lots of interesting language elements which I can only hope will spread.

Mistress La Spliffe ha detto...

Cali, King Kahn is playing all three nights, which is good, since the Toronto Star featured them and it's going to get crowded.

Will you join us tonight for that? In any case we'll see you at the Horseshoe marathon tomorrow, right?

cali ha detto...

I'm doubtful about tonight, because I think there are plans for dancing in the works, but Saturday for sure.

We saw the singer and keyboardist for the Golden Dogs last night at the Silver Dollar - I'm sure J*Fish will be jealous!

Mistress La Spliffe ha detto...

I'M jealous. The Horseshoe wasn't that exciting, and the GD's singer has a special place in my fantasy files. So did you see King Kahn?

cali ha detto...

No because King Kahn wasn't scheduled to come on until 1am - however, my roommate did chat up one of the band members... ooh lala!

Mistress La Spliffe ha detto...

Scandalous!

Melbine ha detto...

I would just like to add Bruce County's special take on 'give'r': Drive'r like you stole'r, not like own'er!
Nice.

Melbine ha detto...

Oops, I messed that up.

It's : Drive'r like you stole'r, not like YOU own'r!

Commonly chanted by children ages 5 to 18 on school buses to the drivers, who look up in the mirror and either a) grin or b) scowl, depending on their age and/or temperament.

Good times.

Mistress La Spliffe ha detto...

Ah, the Bruce. Funny to think Sam Craig might be a County school bus boy in awhile . . . although probably best to concentrate on him figuring out how to sleep through the night.