This past 29th of July, the walls of Petit Campus transformed themselves into those of a place of cult: that of rock n’ roll. Astral Gates and Mooch were on stage that night, and we were all bystanders projected into a sort of northern ancient tale about pagan gods…ready to be rewarded with some magic coming from the land of music. From the moment I met Dan D’Urbano (lead guitar, voice and one of Astral Gates’ founders) at the venue’s bar (a big shout out to the amazing staff of the site!) with his friend Armando, I knew in my heart that THAT night was going to be about something deep and powerful, as only rock (in all its “million” shades) could be.
The excitement was already there! Readable in the eyes and faces of the people standing in front and around the stage, invading the venue, up to put their souls in the hands (or to better say in the instruments and melodies) of these two incredible Montreal-based bands. Committed to only one god, that of rock n roll.
Astral Gates
Almost a year passed by from the last time I saw them live, only to increase my craving for that soulful rock n’ raw sound of Astral Gates, a truly interesting band that Montreal Rocks has been following since their beginning. Dan D’Urbano, together with Estevan Falcone (who that night was casting his spells from far away but was still very much present on each note played) gave birth to the band formerly known as Bano before building a great ensemble made of 3 other music wizards, such as Dave Traina, Domenico Carbone, and Jay Jay Guarascio. And these four dudes put the stage on fire, inflaming the spirits and the audience.
Pieces from EP I like Get Right, and The Day You Die, with Dan’s voice and guitar captivatingly arising and sensually inciting the bystanders to sway their bodies on the notes of this piece (one of my favs), lit the fuse of the night. Rock merged several times with soul and blues, dropping on us that wonderful awareness that we were experiencing something coming from a deep place of knowledge and references: fulfilling, I would say. I loved Where Did You Stay Last Night, catchy and intense, as well as Cold Sweat (EP II), hitting hard at the beginning but also My Time, Behave (a hit), clearly Devil In A Silk Dress and more; a “more” that included a brand new track You Do from a “future” album that promises to surprise: a new-ish sound, more cohesive and abrasive…forceful and calibrated at the same time in its construction. A perfect amuse-bouche for what will come next in the upcoming months (new singles releases??).
Undeniably, the band owned the stage. Dave was magnificently hitting the drums, masterly owning each beat, and Domenico…well, there was a WOW factor in his dexterous performance; Jay Jay was seriously rocking his bass, feeling and tasting each note, generating captivating lines while Dan was moving his hands on his guitar (it was like seeing them performing a beautiful dance on the fretboard) celebrating the god of rock with his voice.
MOOCH
Although Astral Gates’s performance already and abundantly satisfied our palates, there was something coming up just right after, equally powerful and fascinating: three incredible rock messiahs gifting their music to us common mortals, known as MOOCH. Active from 2015, this trio has been hitting several stages throughout these last years, sharing the scene with other serious artists, touring Canada and landing (after a couple of Eps and singles) an LP in 2020 called “Hounds.” Ben Cornel (guitar, voice), Julian Iacovantuono (bass, voice) and Alex Segreti (drums) “descended” on stage with a solid opening. The atmosphere shifted into a sort of dark side of…our hunger for rock?? but nothing was truly dark if not enlightening. Ben and Julian alternating their instruments was also good for the eyes and for the hears.
Pieces from their previous works merged with that of their latest fatigue, like Feeling Good, Low (2017), the beautiful Mantra, Hounds, and so much more. The THING that was mainly captivating (at least for me) was truly their peculiar sound…it was hard but velvety, whispered yet screamed; there was torment but also a feeling of liberation in each note spitted out from the 3 instruments. Yet it sounded classic (as for classic, I mean the 90’s…there was some grunge dispersed somewhere over the melodies). I guess it was that type of rock that plays with interesting (in terms of sound and interpretation) dichotomies, and it plays with them magnificently (a quite hard endeavour).
There was, in the construction of the tracks, a sort of decadent repeated pattern, mainly in the bass lines (by the way truly exceptional) that created a sort of enchantress chant, reproducing a similar effect over the audience of that of the sirens over the sailors in some ancient Greek mythologies; should I call it myth rock? Probably something not for all us mortals, nevertheless profoundly touching.
Overall, what was produced on the 29th of July at Petit Campus, was a great night of rock n roll, with us standing by, absorbing as much as we can from these two incredible and worth following bands who delivered solid, emotional, complex yet incredibly satisfying music. God bless Rock N’ Roll!
Review & Photos: Francesca Sacerdoti
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