Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Serge says: Queen It's A Kinda Magic


Mar 19/10. Massey Hall. Okay this was a tribute band more so like a Vegas act tribute. At the beginning, I though it was a little lame. As the show progressed, the stigma of a tribute show diminished and the fun came through. The band sounded very convincing and the Freddie character was, obviously, over the top. When you try to mimic Freddie Mercury, you end up looking like a tool. He deserved an A for effort becuase it took a while for the crowd to get into it but he didn't waver. They played practically every song in their 2 hour set - some in medley format. In the end, a pretty good show that you would surpisingly enjoy.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Serge says: Bird of Wales

Mar 12/10. Supermarket. Poor bastards had to follow up Flash Lightnin'. Once they pulled out the acoustic guitar for stage setup, all knew the letdown had commenced. Lame '80's folk rock. Ugh. To the next bar.

The Serge says: Flash Lightnin'

Mar 12/10. Supermarket. Well crush my chest cavity and make my eyes bleed. This is a band to enjoy. Imagine AC/DC played by The Datsuns. Loud, raunchy fun and great showmanship. If you are going to have a name like Flash Ligtnin' then you better follow it up with testicular fortitude.
These Toronto locals filled the Supermarket with a very eager crowd and did not disappoint. They mainly played songs from their brand new album which stayed true to their hard Rawk sound. Think Unband and Tricky Woo. They even referenced Queensryke and the movie Teenwolf. Gimme some o'dat whiskey and let 'em howl.

The Serge says: Birthday Boys

Mar 12/10. Supermarket.

...Meeh....

The Serge says:

Mar 12/10. Lee's Palace. So I wanted to go see The Russian Futurists whom were playing at Lee's for Canadian Music Week. They were scheduled for 10:00 to 10:35. This was the only band I wanted to see at this venue tonight because The Acorn (stupid name) and Plants And Animals are shitassboring. But was I allowed to go in a show that was not sold out? No. Why not? Because Lee's was waiting to see if other patrons with CMW passes may grace their presence. The Russian Futurists were playing to a half empty room while music fans waited outside for total bullshit CMW rules. This happened last year at the Gladstone for a band called Teen Anger. Fans refused entry just in case pass holders showed up. If they didn't show up by the alloted time and people want to see the band, let them in so the band can play to a bigger crowd. The fest is about people seeing bands play.
Look, I would have payed the premium door charge to see 1 band for 35 minutes and probably purchased at least 2 overpriced drinks during that show. Even if I purchased the CMW pass at $60.00 fucking dollars, I would still not be guaranteed entry to certain shows. Explain that annal logic.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Serge says: Vivian Girls

Mar 10/10. Wrongbar. This band from Brooklyn features three women, one uglier than the other. Their sound is 60's garage/surf female style. Clear vocals and catchy songs represented their set.
One important lesson for bands to learn from this show: Do not invite the drunk fan on stage to sing a song. This knob had no idea what song he was to sing nor did he even try to hide this fact. He seemed to relish being soaked by the beer being thrown at him. The bass player, practicing her roadie skills poorly, was way to polite in pushing him off the stage because he kept trying to get back on stage. Whack the rube on the head with your bass and let the masses toss his ass in the refuge.

The Serge says: Male Bonding

Mar 10/10. Wrongbar. Hard to take a band seriously when the lead singer looks like Tobias from the Arrested Development TV show (he was the Blue Man guy).
This is a three piece band from England that plays heavily into the early 90's style grunge sounding like a cross between Nirvana and Reacharound. I thought the UK still hated the Grunge scene? Hell, the drummer even flailed around like a lesser David Grohl. The vocals stunk and the lyrics were just garbled gunk. Tobias would be ashamed. The last song -"How Long"-rocked....but, you know, that damn singing.