Date of show: April 25, 2014
Toronto-based Teenage Kicks celebrated the release of their debut full-length album, Spoils of Youth, to a lively crowd at the Horseshoe Tavern. Since Teenage Kicks formed 4 years ago, the band has always had a special quality – perhaps it’s frontman Peter van Helvoort’s raw, enthralling vocals, or perhaps it’s the band’s penchant for big riffs and great lyrics. But those who have been following this band know that fans have been waiting quite some time for the band to release their first full-length album. Teenage Kicks has been through a lot to release the album, including a number of line-up changes and recording challenges. On this night, there was a lot to celebrate, after working so hard through some rocky times to get this album out.
To get the crowd into the set right away, Teenage Kicks kicked off their set with a badass cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” Then, after playing single “Houdini” and old favourite “Hearts of Darkness,” bassist Jeff van Helvoort took over lead vocals from his brother to sing b-side “All Your Punk Songs.” It was a great touch to the set before the band continued to power their way through the set, playing a mix of new and old favourites, including the anthemic “I Get What You Give” and set closer “Brooklyn Bridge.” Throughout the set, the band seemed grateful to have made it to this point, and Peter thanked everyone for putting up with his emotional posts when the band was going through rough times.
Toronto has always shown love to Teenage Kicks and this night was no exception. After waiting so long for the band to put out their album, fans were as intense as ever and sang along to just about every song, including all of the new ones on the album that hadn’t even been officially released yet. Teenage Kicks officially released Spoils of Youth on April 30th. We highly recommend you get a copy of the album, which you can find in record stores, on their Bandcamp or on iTunes. You won’t regret the purchase.
After touring their album The Heart. The Head. The End. so much, Poor Young Things really knows how to deliver a great, energetic set. It was so energetic that Scott Burke broke a bass string during just the third song in the set. The Toronto-via-Thunder Bay band alternated new and old songs, showcasing what’s to come for the band. One of the highlights of the newer material was when the band told everyone to “dance like an animal.” Old favourite “Blame it on the Good Times” might have been the absolute highlight, but then a cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” to close out the set really stole the show.
When we arrived at the Horseshoe, we had already missed Oh Geronimo, the first band of the night, and Christian Punk Band had already started their set. Former Teenage Kicks guitarist, Christian Turner, fronts this band. Turner’s energetic personality suits the frontman role, while he still gets to show off his skill on guitar. While the band still needs to iron out some of their rough edges in their performance, the band’s fun pop rock sound was a great way for us to start off our night. It sounds like the band is currently working on an EP, so we’ll soon hear more from Christian Punk Band. For now, check out their Bandcamp for a taste of their sound.
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