HPX Day 4: Timber Timbre, The Darcys & More

Friday, October 21, 2011

I started out HPX Day 4 checking out Punk Rock Karaoke in the afternoon, which brought along special guest Spookey Ruben, before I took a break for the evening shows. However, the night just got more jam-packed.

DUZHEKNEW

The first band of the night was DUZHEKNEW over at St. Matthew’s United Church. The hometown band has a quirky art pop sound, which was quite fascinating to experience in the Church. The 3-piece is fronted by Adam O’Reilly, who brings quite the personality on stage. Although the band is a little eccentric, the melodies and impressive sax work really made this a fun set to watch.

Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre brought out the fog machines and changed to lighting to red. It was difficult to see the band if you were further back, but Taylor Kirk knows how to set the atmosphere to accompany his deep, dark and mysterious music. While the set isn’t particularly uplifting, watching Kirk’s work on guitar and percussion was fascinating. His talent is undeniable and everyone in the packed Church knew it.

Giant Hand

Then, in an effort to make an appearance at showcases by 2 great blogs, I ran from one side of the street to the other to catch a few songs from a couple artists. First I hit up the Herohill showcase and caught Chris Page at The Company House. Then I headed over to the Bus Stop Theatre for the Oh! Canada/Line of Best Fit showcase to see some of the Giant Hand. Both showcases were well attended, which speaks to the reputations of both of the sits and the musicians playing. I’m so glad I had the chance to swing by.

Shotgun Jimmie

After catching some of The Skeletones Four’s set at Gus’ Pub, I stayed for a bit of Shotgun Jimmie’s fun rock set. I didn’t stay for the whole set, but Jimmie’s banter and dorky personality really make every Shotgun Jimmie set a set worth seeing.

The Darcys

I quickly ran over to see some of The Darcys’ set at North Street Church. While the size of the crowd left something to be desired, the band still played an impressive set in preparation for the release of their album on the following Tuesday.

Dog Day

After making it back into a packed Gus’ Pub, I saw Halifax’s Dog Day put on a rockin’ set to end off the night. The pop punk set ended with some crowd surfing, making it look like walking on the ceiling. It was nothing short of impressive and a great end to a stellar Friday.