A Day of Fun at S.C.E.N.E Music Festival in St. Catharines

Date of show: June 9, 2013
Written by: Chiara DiAngelo

Now in its 18th year, SCENE Fest played a large role in my personal musical upbringing and continues to hold a special place in my heart. No matter how many larger-scale festivals we here at buying shots for bands cover, we also both always enjoy our day running around the streets of downtown St. Catharines, taking in a bunch of bands and hanging out with good friends.

Lambs Become Lions (Market Square Main Stage, 1:25PM)

St. Catharines band Lambs Become Lions kicked off the main stage festivities early on in the afternoon. They’ve recently added an additional guitar player, bringing the lineup to six members, and taking their sound in a heavier direction behind the acoustic guitar and light vocals of frontman Eric Conlon. Under the hotter-than-hot sun, there was a large crowd already out to cheer them on who were just as excited to see the band up there as they obviously were to be playing. Adding to this excitement there was even a gorilla crowd-surfing! Not a bad start to the day.

Bitter Kids (Mikado, 1:50PM)

A group of younger kids, St. Catharines pop-punk band Bitter Kids wasn’t necessarily my thing but it was kind of awesome to see a mosh pit already started this early on in the day. The younger crowd packing Mikado was definitely feeling it.

The Balconies (Market Square Main Stage, 2:30PM)

Toronto’s The Balconies recently expanded into a four-piece and it seems to be working for them. There was a different dynamic on stage with four members up there now. Frontwoman Jacquie Neville was still just as much of a force to be reckoned with, but the attention was shared a bit more equally even despite her avante garde and sometimes over-the-top lost-in-the-music movements. Exposing the audience to a host of new material throughout their set, they took it back to set mainstay “Do It In The Dark” to end things, making the crowd go “whoa.”

My Son the Hurricane (Market Square Jagermeister Stage, 3:00PM)

Part ska, part funk, part big-band, My Son the Hurricane were all loud and in charge. With emcee Jacob Bergsma at the helm, the massive band overtook the outdoor stage and the crowd’s attention. While getting to see blazing tracks like “Pigeon Park” and “Call Me Mister” from their most recent EP Cashing a Dead Man’s Cheque were highlights of their set, bringing out Sarah Beatty of The Marantz Project to join them on stage may have stolen the show.

Souls (The Merchant Ale, 3:25PM)

Hard at work on a new album, Toronto/St. Catharines band Souls’ set featured all new material. Having parted ways with their keyboardist and picked up a new drummer earlier this year, these songs were heavier, and the instrumentals more expansive, revealing members’ roots from past projects such as Sleeper Set Sail and Sleep the Season. Luckily what hasn’t changed a bit is the ragged explosiveness of frontman Dave Fontaine’s vocals and the cutting edge to the cello. I’m already looking forward to hearing some new recordings.

Pkew Pkew Pkew (gunshots) (Patrick Sheehan’s, 3:45PM)

Entering Sheehan’s part way through Toronto party-punk band Pkew Pkew Pkew (gunshots)’ set, a pretty epic bromance was already in full effect. Situating himself on the floor in the midst of the crowd, singer Brodie Bocelli shared the mic with multiple people in the bar, including the band’s friends in PUP. Determined to draw even more people into the already packed and sweaty afternoon party, during “Glory Days” Bocelli pulled the microphone cord as far as it could go, singing to the people hanging outside on the patio. Always a good time with Pkew, you just never know what is going to happen!

PUP (The Red Hot Chili Pepper – Downstairs, 4:40PM)

Descending into the basement of The Chili Pepper is sometimes akin to entering an alternate universe. On this occasion they had the slightly dank room packed up close to the stage and their set may as well have been a who’s-who of the local music scene, with friends from The Dirty Nil and Hollerado, among others taking it in. Drummer Zack Mykula may have broken a snare midway through their set, but they kept on playing – perhaps even louder – until a replacement was brought up to him. Thanking the audience for sticking with them, it wasn’t the tightest set we’ve seen them play but I can say that no one much seemed to care, they were content to yell along and throw down with some of the band’s heavier new material – and sometimes that’s all that matters.

Paul Federici (The Red Hot Chili Pepper – Upstairs, 5:20)

Local singer-songwriter Paul Federici plays pretty acoustic songs that make you believe there is good in the world. After the rowdiness of the previous sets we caught, with just him and his guitar, Federici’s quieter songs – especially with the lyrics “Hold on, can we slow down for a moment” of “One Day You’ll Be Right” – offered a great breath of relief. If you are a fan of City and Colour, I’d highly recommend checking out Federici’s new album, Now and Then…, out now.

The Dirty Nil (Mikado, 5:35PM)

Hamilton’s punk rock trio The Dirty Nil have made quite a name for themselves in St. Catharines. They had the tiny back room of Mikado’s volatilely pounding down and yelling along to what have now become anthems, “Fuckin’ Up Young” and “Cinnamon.” The lights were low and things got a bit messy off the stage in the heart of the thrashing about but that’s what you expect when you see these guys. They’ve proven time and time again that they are a band to watch, and we enjoy doing just that every chance we get.

Northcote (Mikado, 6:20PM)

Former member of the post-hardcore band Means, Matt Goud has now been performing solo under the moniker Northcote for the past couple of years. There is an almost surprising gentleness to him and his punk-tinged folk songs that just make you weak in the knees. Playing many new songs off his uplifting latest self-titled record, he had old and new fans swooning and singing along.

Nikola Sarcevic (L3, 6:15)

Nikola Sarcevic is best known as the frontman of Millencolin, but he also has 4 full-length solo albums under his belt. In June, Sarcevic did a short Canadian solo tour to promote his most recent release – Freedom to Roam. Sarcevic took the stage with just an acoustic guitar to serenade the audience, but the audience seemed to lack the appreciation for Sarcevic’s solo work. Sarcevic said he was open to requests, but shot down the numerous Millencolin requests stating, “Right now I’m Clark Kent and I’d have to get into a telephone booth and change into Superman to do that song.” When someone finally requested a solo song (“Lovetrap”), Sarcevic seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he wasn’t performing to this particular crowd in vain. | CL

Single Mothers (L3, 7:15PM)

Heavy hitting punk rockers Single Mothers may hail from London, Ontario but there is a certain level of unrivalled madness to their St. Catharines shows that they almost feel like hometown gigs. With his Craig Finn-like, at-times half-spoken vocals, frontman Andrew Thomson hollered in the faces of those in the front row while what was likely the craziest, most explosive mosh pit of the day carried on behind them – and through them. There were almost more crowd-surfers than the venue could comfortably contain. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see these recent Dine Alone Records signees live, I’d say get on that. Now.

Hollerado (Market Square Main Stage, 7:55PM)

Emerging from the packed sweatiness of L3, being outside for Hollerado’s main stage set was a welcome relief. Despite playing the more definitively poppy sounding songs from their sophomore record White Paint, the band seems to have matured over the past while and they’ve toned down their explosively dynamic stage presence slightly. Through the three rounds of confetti the set did still hold an upbeat atmosphere and Serb Superb (Dinosaur Bones) also came up and freestyled to further entertain the audience.

Tokyo Police Club (Market Square Main Stage, 9:45PM)

Festival headliners Tokyo Police Club provided an immensely fun end to the night. Even as the blazing hot sun set into a comfortably cool night, they were still just as energetic as ever, playing a combination of older and newer songs. The crowd enjoyed their enthusiasm, transforming the Market Square parking lot into what felt like the best dance party surrounded by all of your favourite friends. It was a great way to wind down the busy day. While the music continued late into the night until 2am, it was time for these Torontonians to head back to the city. One year we’ll make it through the entire festival!