While most live music venues were closed for Canada Day, Inferno stayed open to celebrate with a whole lot of loud, raucous punk and metal, July 1.

 While I missed local metal band Lock N’ Load, who are playing a lot lately, I arrived just in time to catch the last couple intense sings from Calgary punk trio Copsickle, whose songs were short, sweet and as sweaty as the frenetic mosh pit in front of the stage.

The band members would later join the mosh for the following acts.

 Fellow Calgarians the Motherfuckers followed with a set which was just as short, sweet and sweaty, but which featured some punk rock classics and some brand new songs the foursome had never performed before.

 They had plenty of energy, lots of snarling guitar, gang vocals and barking lead vocals from frontman Dan Izzo, jumping all over the stage and howling into his microphone in the middle of the mosh.

“Rock and Roll Scumbag” was a highlight of the set and one of the so songs they hadn’t really played before.

Vancouver’s Spree Killers wound down Canada Day with an intense set full of lyrics of about serial killers, murder and necrophilia and the breakdown of society. They reminded me a little of the Creepshow but with less psychobilly. 

They had a touch of metal as well as tinges of country and some psychobilly.

 But there was plenty of guitar and energy and vocal melodies counterbalanced with unearthly shrieks from lead singer Fanni Adams. 

They ended their set on a more lighthearted note with a couple songs about drinking.