The long lineup outside of Turbo Haüs was an indication that tonight’s roster was going to be amazing. The fact that it was sold-out was proof.
Victories
Victories, sporting matching baseball jerseys, started us off with a cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The truth was that we all did…all night long. The crowd was instantly sucked into a vortex of good vibes and tunes making us miss our VCR and contemplating our Great Mistake.
I have nicknamed Victories: BLINK-MTL. As the name suggests, this is Pop-Punk that brings us back to the 90’s and 00’s with the same catchy songs that got us to love this genre in the first place. Speaking of catchy, no Victories show is complete without the free “sicky hands” mayhem the band is known for.
Read the Montreal Rocks interview with Victories
Gutter King
The musical direction was abruptly changed to metalcore with Gutter King from Calgary, AB.
Gutter King delivered a set that felt like Linkin Park’s heartbreak thrown into an Alexisonfire inferno. Songs like Feather had everyone with the iPhone torch out, while Killswitch set fire to the dance floor.
A band deserving a much larger stage, Gutter King is a band to watch out for, as they surely gained some new fans during their first gig in Montreal.
Montreal Poutine Side Quest
Because I was not officially on review duty, I started heading back home after Gutter King. While commenting to my cousin about how surprising they were, the whole band was walking alongside us.
First time in Montreal, they were hunting for Poutine. I headed the search party, knowing full well where our late night poutine fix was waiting for us.
We passed Les Foufounes Électriques, which I suggested would be the next stage they should perform at, steeped deep with musical history. We then walked past MTelus, which is surely within their grasp in the near future.
We finally arrived at the corner of St-Catherine and St-Laurent: La Belle Province.
Having had my fair share of Poutine, this is a great one in the area, always welcoming late-night visits without judgment. My cousin and I had visited The Montreal Pool Room earlier, so my diet was completely off the rails anyways.
The boys agreed with my choice, having only sampled A&W or similar facsimiles of a poutine. You can’t fake that cheese!
We hurried back so they could man the merch booth and do load out.
Chiliø
The musical compass was changed back to Pop-Punk with Chiliø from Calgary AB.
Unfortunately, the poutine side quest meant I completely missed co-headliners Chiliø, but considering the size of the crowd that stuck around, it must have been great.
Suckerpunch!
I now had to work off a late-night poutine, so there was no way I was heading home now.
Turbo Haüs has this tradition of keeping the party going with a band after the headliner(s). SUCKERPUNCH! kept the remaining crowd with smiles and sing-a-longs as more pop-punk was released to those that stuck around.
It was an uppercut of fun from a band that can sure keep a party going.
Conclusion
Having mentally committed to only catching one band, this lineup didn’t let me go find the comfort of my bed. Adrenaline, fun, catchy songs and a respectful crowd made this a memorable night.
Calgary vs Montreal…well, let’s keep that rivalry on the ice because on Saturday, we were all friends having a good time.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Tech entrepreneur, Managing Partner of MTech Cyber with a focus on cybersecurity along with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
Photographer: Jessica Manchenton @j.mphotographs on Instagram
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