Party Dozen
It did not take long at all for Party Dozen to win over the early crowd. They impressed me, and everyone else there, with their noise style. Drummer Jonathan Boulet gave an impressive performance, and saxophonist Kirsty Tickle blew me away.
Kirsty had effects added to her saxophone that caused a thrilling distortion to twist the notes in any direction she needed them to go. Her vocals were sung directly into the horn of her sax, where the microphone is usually located. This way, she could use those same effects on her voice.
I had never seen anything like them, not only a unique sound, but a unique way to produce it. But that’s noise for you, innovation is all over the scene.
L7
Next up, I had the complete honour to see L7 perform live. I was so ecstatic, and the ever-growing crowd of Place Bell shared that same feeling with me. The pit danced and moshed along to their classic tracks, showing love to a band that has well earned their place in our hearts.
Their attitude and fantastic energy got everyone properly ready for the headlining performance. They sounded incredible, and clearly looked like they were having a great time performing together. They interacted with one another while playing their instruments, taking turns singing their own respective vocals for each track on their setlist.
What a treat to see such an iconic, all-women grunge band like L7 support a modern, woman-led punk/rock band like Amyl and The Sniffers. A treat to see the crowd go crazy over hearing anything from their album Bricks Are Heavy, too.
Amyl and The Sniffers
After two amazing opening sets, the anticipation in the room sure was building as we all waited for the main show to start. All that anticipation came to a satisfying and explosive release once Amyl and The Sniffers finally made it onto the stage, beginning their set with Control.
Their energy was electric right off the bat, and that high never came down. The crowd immediately started going wild, huge mosh pits forming, with the most passionate fans present in the middle of it all. All of it was to match Amy Taylor’s vibe, as she danced like crazy across the large stage for the entire set. Her attitude was infectious.
There were a few awkward moments between Amy and her audience, though, purely because I don’t think many people in Place Bell could understand her accent when she spoke, which was a shame because she is actually really funny.
All three of their albums got attention throughout Amyl and The Sniffers’ set. Songs like Gacked on Anger and Some Mutts (Can’t Be Muzzled) from their self-titled album, Freaks to the Front and Security from Comfort To Me, and finally Doing In Me Head and Tiny Bikini from Cartoon Darkness.
Their setlist was packed with some of the band’s best work, it was really banger after banger for their entire set. There was never a dull moment while they played. If you missed the Amyl and The Sniffers show, then you’d better hope they make it back to Montreal in the future, because I’d definitely take any chance I get to see them. Super fun start to the summer.
Review – Jamie Siddall
Live photo – Steve Gerrard (taken at Osheaga)
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