Local punk rockers have found a new home in the old firehall. They put on a crazy, sweaty, beer fuelled and sold out show featuring Canadian punk Legends the Dayglo Abortions, Friday, March 15.
I missed opening act Chief Mountain, but was glad to have finally caught new local punk/ metal band the Hockey Moms, who were in the middle of a loud set of energetic, heavy, abrasive punk rock and a touch of metal.
The crowd was well lubricated, frothing in front of the stage by the time I arrived, but full on anarchy hadn’t quite broken out. The Hockey Moms wound down an exuberant set with a Rage Against the Machine cover, showing off their solid groove and intensity.
“Grumpy old guys” in the words of Dayglo Abortions frontman Murray Acton, took the young punks to school and maybe even a few metal heads, playing huge riffs and solos that would have put many a shredder to shame. Blind Drummer Blarc leaned close to his cymbals and beat his skins like did him wrong as bassist Matt Fiorito jumped all over the cramped stage in between audience members running forward to fix Blarc’s broken drum mic, which he’d knock askew throughout their
The crowd started a massive mosh a couple songs in, throwing beer cans through the air knocking each other and speakers awry, though had the presence of mind to help their fellows up and to reset monitors and speakers and holding others in place.
I feel I should know more of their music as I couldn’t hear a lot of the lyrics, but the audience sang along in between buffeting each other about. They played a lot of the songs form their latest CD “Armageddon Survival Guide” including Your Facebook Can Kiss My Assbook” which opened the set. They also played “ The Dishwasher” from that CD, but delved deep for most of the set.
Acton punctuated loud bursts of energy, double bass kicks and big riffs , with cries of the importance of supporting the local music scene and “ah shucks, thanks for coming to hear grumpy old guys playing punk rock.”
Some familiar songs were “My Girl,” “ Not My Mom, “ Two Dogs …” “Scared of Humans” “God Bless America,” which featured a few bars of “Star Spangled Banner” and crowd favourite “Proud to be Canadian.”
Midway through the set a few people stripped off their shirts and a few fighters were tossed.
Another political song was “1967.”
“ Support your local scene, we‘re just a bunch of old guys,” Acton shouted, taking a quick breath at the end of their set. They were called back for a long encore.
“Lets play a song about getting old, because that’s how we’re feeling,” Acton stated, before playing “Stupid World,” which allowed him the chance to show off his best Van Halen style two handed tapping solos.
They ended a long set just before midnight with my favourite “ Drugged and Driving.”
