Date of show: May 11, 2012
Shot of choice: whiskey
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo
With a line-up of four testosterone-filled bands, this past Saturday night at the Horseshoe just might go down in history as one of the sweatiest bro-fests this city has experienced.
Headliners Wildlife took the stage to eager anticipation from the jammed packed crowd. A fog machine and some pretty intense strobe lights have always been a part of their live show, but on this occasion they upped their game even more. Adding several art installation-like aspects to it, there was an almost “performance art” element to their stage performance. Luckily for them it added to, rather than detracted from the music and overall experience of their always infectiously enjoyable set.
With the lights out and the fog machine running, crew members handed out “Wildlife”-branded sunglasses to the crowd up front – which would prove beneficial for the light show/strobes to come. They kicked off with what has become their signature introduction – the extended instrumental intro into “Stand in the Water” which had Graham Plant strumming the mandolin, drummer Dwayne Christie drumming on everything other than the actual drum set, and keys/synth player Tim Daugulis pounding his chest, the synth sounds matching the epileptic quality of the strobe lights. What an intro!
Plant then switched to the guitar for “When I Get Home” and the band was joined by friend Jack Ecker on guest vocals and tambourine. It may have been chaotic adding an additional body to an already full stage but the energy he exuded worked. Ecker spent most of his time on stage jumping up and down riling up the crowd, successfully encouraging them to dance even harder. Next song “Brand New Weapon” was sent out to singer Dean Povinsky’s cousin who always asks them to play it because they rarely do. With intense energy, it would make a welcome addition to their regular rotation.
Taking a break from the music, helium sharks were then deployed, entrancing the audience as they majestically floated above their heads along with the release of bubbles. Bass player Derek Bosomworth hopped up on the bass drum to rock out during an extended instrumental until the sharks returned to the stage (slightly deflated from when they set out) that led into “Drunken Heart.” This song is already gorgeously ambient, and was made even more so with the addition of their friend Jeff on trombone. Their set also showcased two new songs – “Bad Dream,” about trying to live forever, and “Lightning Tent,” that started out simple and calm before breaking out into sweaty pounding drums you could feel in your chest.
Always an epic track to end with, Ecker and Jeff came back out for “Killing For Fun.” Joined by even more friends on stage for the final “ohohohoh”’s, the instruments halted and Povinsky turned the mic over to the crowd before it was back into the hard-hitting rock with the floor tom pounding until the final moments. Not quite done with the Horseshoe yet, the band responded to demands for an encore and came back out with a high-energy cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley,” which ended with Povinsky shredding on the guitar behind his head.
Regardless of how you measure it – by the buckets of sweat dripped, the level of energy, the additional elements added to their live show, or just the incredible musicianship, lyrics and infectious quality to the band – Wildlife is of the best local live acts out there. This was their last show for awhile as they are heading into the studio to record; I can’t wait to see what they have coming for us next!
Starting their set with a group fist pump, it was obvious that we were in for yet another good time with local Toronto band Topanga. They began with the fast-paced yet hoe-down-esque “The Shield.” With his screamy vocals and crazed bouncing around the stage, it was evident right away that Stefan Babcock (vocals, guitar) was a man on a mission: to play as loud as he could while having as much fun as possible. Not slowing down, Zack Mykula transitioned right into the drums of “Back Against the Wall,” during which Babcock hopped up on the drum kit and jumped down off it backwards, knocking Mykula’s floor tom over in the process – always creating a ruckus, that one.
Throwing a new song into the mix, “Cul de Sac” still maintained their familiar fun and bouncy quality, with vocals that seemed to get louder as the song progressed. Not quite able to quite out the lyrics, my attention turned to Steve Sladkowski on guitar. What I always find incredible about this band is that if you take a minute to remove your focus from their on-stage antics, you notice the intricacies of their playing. You have to appreciate the level of talent that resides in this band that may often go unnoticed, masked behind their boisterousness.
Fourth song in was “Lionheart.” This one always creates a stir and tonight was no different. The crowd as a whole surged forward, and someone up front flung himself into their clutches. His crowd-surfing inspired a bit of a mosh pit to transpire, with members of the crowd also grabbing the mic. By the time the band got to “Oceans,” the A-side off their 7-inch, the crowd was even more frantic and violent despite this being one of their peppier dance tracks.
While they say that bassists rarely get any attention, tonight Nestor Chumak changed this. During the band’s cover of The Hives’ “Because I Wanna,” Chumak took Babcock’s perch up on top of the amp and rocked out, allowing the bass to for once, take centre stage. Well done!
Comprised of Jordan Orava (guitar, vocals), Mike Warne (guitar, vocals), Brodie Bocelli (vocals), Ryan McKinley (bass, vocals) and Dave Laino (drums, vocals), Toronto pop punkers PKEW PKEW PKEW (gunshots) were the second band of the night. Announcing “Let’s have a party!” prior to playing, well that’s exactly what they went right ahead and did.
A band based around group vocals and songs about “dude stuff,” their set started with just one guitar and the band’s chanting voices. Tame enough – until Bocelli jumped down from the stage to sing in the crowd – at which time the real fun/mayhem began. With a large group of their mainstay fans right up front jumping around and going nuts, there was soon beer spraying everywhere, showering anyone and everyone in their vicinity.
By the time they got to second song “Stop Calling Us Chief,” the party was in full swing. Their set also included two of their newer songs – “Glory Days” and “Road To Victory” that had Bocelli once again joining the dudes in the crowd, beer in hand, turning it into one big sweaty production with everyone singing into the mic “We’re guys! We don’t cry! We just get drunk!” – before ending with some of their classic singles: “Asshole Pandemic,” which is surprisingly really melodic underneath the yelling and screaming of profanities, loud and to the point “Friends Don’t Let Friends Move In With Girlfriends” and the self-titled “Pkew Pkew Pkew (gunshots)” which aptly encompasses the essence of their band and ended with yet another insane bro-down off stage.
While the dudes of PKEWx3 likely aren’t the world’s most proficient musicians and may never win any awards for poignant lyricism, that’s also likely not their intention. And what they do deliver – a brand of pop-punk that never loses the fun pop element, rousing group vocals, and one of the rowdiest live shows around – they do extremely well. One likely won’t forget the experience of a beer-soaked PKEWx3 show anytime soon.
Opening the night was Tyler Crawford (vocals, guitar), Jesse Ash (bass), and Charlie Neufeld (guitar) of Reversing Falls from Montreal, Quebec. Without a drummer, they instead started off their explosive set once again backed by their drum machine. With the majority of their rambunctious pop songs under 3 minutes, they managed to pack ten into their opening slot.
Right from the start of first song “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” Neufeld’s head was shaking. as were his legs constantly kicking out from under him. A bundle of energy, he rarely stopped throughout the entirety of their set. Next up they debuted a brand new song “Secret Goth,” that was loud and in charge and had a really great funky bass line. A polite goth, Crawford thanked “Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we are Reversing Falls from Montreal Quebec Canada” before they continued with their next song “Still Kicking.” While the lyrics are a bit morose, the band’s energy didn’t drop.
After four songs, they welcomed secret special guest drummer Zack Mykula of Topanga onto the drums. Buoyed by Mykula, both the band and their overall sound seemed to just come even more alive at this point with songs off their previously released mini CD “Little Goodbye” and “Doom Beach.” Taking their energy up a notch, sweat was soon dripping down from Crawford’s head and guitar.
Their set ended with the hilarious single “Is This Thing On?” that Crawford wrote when he was six. Coming to a big flourish of a finish, Crawford played his guitar holding it above his head, and Neufeld lifted his up and shook it against the ceiling. I swear his guitar was smoking when he brought it back down. With a solid live show, they are sure to cause quite a stir once their upcoming LP This is Riffwave is finally released.
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