Now that I’m appropriately floating, and having just found out that the Vancouver Canucks have lost The Stanley Cup (again, that’s a big deal here in Canada, eh?) I decide to dash around the corner for a little west-coast commiseration at The Painted Lady with British Columbia trio, Catlow (right).
Fronted by, Natasha Thirsk (ex of Vancouver darlings The Dirtmitts), Catlow grind their way through a tight set that collects elements of The Go-Gos, Jill Sobule, and even at times Sonic Youth filtering them through a late-90’s post-grunge lens.
In knee-high boots and with an (at times, soaring) whiskey-tinged voice, Thirsk and co. went from pure power-pop, to moments of emotional intensity all the while being absolutely charming and staying true to their melodic core.
It’s easy to see why their bio suggests that Catlow are sure to win over fans of Rilo Kiley, Blonde Redhead and Elliot Smith.
With some time to spare, I dash around the corner again, back to The Garrison to catch New York’s The Postelles (below).
Right away I notice that the vibe in the room is decidedly less chilled than what it was just 45 minutes ago – a small sized dance-pit has formed at the front of the stage as hips sway, fists are pumped and various hoots and hollers fill the air, it’s as if a clam-bake has broken out in the middle of Brooklyn.
The Postelles bring a retro-cool to the proceedings – a touch of rockabilly, a dash of CBGBs, and just a hint of Elvis thrown in for good measure. Think; The Strokes, fronted by Buddy Holly.
High-energy, sexy, and “talented as all get out” they dish out the pop hooks by the swaggering spoonful and rip through tunes like ‘Hey Little Sister’ and ‘White Nights’ with ease – highlight? A guitar-string busting cover of ‘Hound Dog’.
I step outside and the slight chill in the air reminds me just how sweaty it was getting up in The Garrison – time to air out a bit and head south to the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern for Montreal’s own Parlovr and We Are Wolves.
Parlovr are Louis Jackson (below left), Alex Cooper, and Jeremy MacCuish who self-label their sound as “sloppy pop” and throughout their set they take the assembled crowd on an ambling, beer fueled ride– sounding raw, messy, while still holding true to their pop-sensibilities.
The band’s collected A-symmetrical haircuts flipped, bobbed and swung to synth-driven gems like ‘Pen to the Paper’ and ‘Hiccup’. It’s a writhing mass of sparkly keys, solid drum crashes and straight-ahead guitar that leaves the crowd sweaty, exhausted but exhilarated.
Who needs a break?
It’s one in the morning now. I might be done with the night, but it becomes clear that it’s not quite done with me yet as We Are Wolves take the stage. This Montreal dance-punk trio has machismo, intensity and charm to spare.
Looking like extras in an off-off-off Broadway production of Grease, they launch in to a fierce, screaming party-driven set that blew the doors off the place, then picked up the shattered remains of the doors, burned them, danced on the ashes and then looked for more things to break – it was what I imagine would happen if one day The Hives met up with The Rapture, hopped in a rocket-powered 59’ Chevy and headed straight for Tijuana.
Lead singer/bassist Alexander Ortiz (above right) oozed a mugging, mic-licking charm that was irresistible; at one point pulling a switchblade from his back-pocket and using it to slick back his sweaty pomade-filled hair. Drummer Anton Marquis, playing his kit standing up, banged out lightning-quick beats that were contrasted by Vincent Levesque’s sloppy buzzing analogue synth riffs.
It was a raucous, hook-filled, joyous end to what was as a much more “chillaxed” beginning to NXNE than what I’d originally intended.
Day one, you were fantastic.
I could do without the lead-heavy eyelids and the somewhat worrying, persistent, low-frequency buzz in my left ear, but, I wouldn’t trade you for much- one down, three more to go…
Will I make it out alive? Will I at some point collapse from sonic exhaustion?.. Am I really contemplating seeing Evan Dando? When will the debauchery start?
You’ll just have to keep reading to find out friends as I’ll be continuing to file more dispatches throughout the rest of the week, stay tuned….
Further reading from todays line up:
NXNW
The Garrison
Lower Dens
Catlow
The Postelles
Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Parlovr
We Are Wolves
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