It’s Thursday night in Montreal, and the girls are taking over. Of the 10 musicians taking to the stage tonight across the 3 bands playing, only a couple of guys are present. Girl power indeed (ugh, I really did just reference Spice Girls there, shocking…).
First up are local 3-piece Heathers, and these girls ooze cool. Seriously, the drummer even wears a Lady Gaga shirt, and makes it look awesome (of course I’m assuming it’s ironic). They start off with a fairly atmospheric, laid-back tune, complete with Raveonettes-esque low-tone vocals, before transforming into all-out punk with vocals a la Karen-O (hair is let down and thrashed accordingly). Further to that, the last song begins with vocals resembling a church choir; certainly one of the most diverse sets you’ll see, and very hard to categorize. Their Facebook page describes them as “dark sequin grunge” – not sure what that means, but who am I to argue?!
Next up are Potty Mouth, hailing from Northampton, Massachusetts. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of that name; something about the word “Potty” that doesn’t sit right. Diarrhea Planet are another example; I’ve heard they’re one of the best live bands around, but alas, that name! I digress.
Their set begins plagued by feedback, to the point that frontwoman Abby comments that the entire stage feels like it’s about to blast off! None of this detracts from the quality of the music, however, which is in a similar punky garage-y vain to Heathers, but notably more coherent and upbeat, and goes down well with the 150 or so in attendance. Current single Cherry Picking is doing the rounds on the Sirius alternative channels, and is especially well received, as is a fantastic cover of Weezer’s No One Else.
Headlining tonight are New Jersey’s Screaming Females, and possibly the most apropos band name since Misfits or Rage Against The Machine. Frontwoman Marissa Paternoster looks so quiet and unassuming during setup that you could easily mistake her for a roadie, and yet the instant Screaming Females take the stage, this petite 5’2″ lady morphs into an absolute whirling dervish. And my oh my, can she scream. By the middle of the opening tune Lights Out, she’s shredding solos while walking amongst the crowd, such sights usually reserved for the encore! Her energy is contagious, as soon enough, much of the crowd is pogo-ing, dancing, or at the very least smiling at what is unfolding before them. Even Potty Mouth are dancing along at the side of the stage. It’s a raucous affair, and shows no sign of calming down when I take my leave at midnight, about 30 minutes into the set (the annoyingly late set times tonight are not conducive to a productive 9-5 the next day).
All in all, a great show, and one thing’s for sure: sisters are doing it for themselves (ugh, terrible reference #2; kill me now…).
Review and photos – Simon Williams
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