Considered to be one of the most exciting Psych Post Punk bands to grace our city, Fernando Nuti (lead vocals/guitar), Andrea Volpato (lead guitar/backing vocals), Alessandro Boschiero (bass) and Dario Lucchesi (drums/sampler) made it all the way from Venice Italy to play L’Escogriffe.
Being the first visit from the band, they paid their dues and played the small and intimate venue, giving it their all.
Les Envahisseurs
Les Envahisseurs first invaded L’Esco, and the result was infectious kinetic energy, especially from Nataly D. Lovely who danced and sang like it was her last night on earth.
With a big hit of The Gruesomes, a Montreal throwback garage band that reveals my age, the band looked like they were having the time of their lives and inviting us to join them.
Francois Gagner (drums) and Olivier Mercedi (bass) layed the backbone of the beat, while Tom Lambert added guitars to the mix, and Julie Sauriol (synths/guitar) rounded out the band.
A Franglais mixure of lyrics that was like a Red Bull to the ears.
New Candys
Jimi Hendrix was all about Purple Haze, but the New Candys went for Red Haze, a nightmare to shoot for any photographer.
Turn on the red lights and add a generous helping from the smoke machine, and the result was a dark and mysterious atmosphere that perfectly matched the vibe of the songs.
They started with Zyko off their latest release with its Jesus & Mary Chain vibe.
Like moths to a flame, the crowd gathered close to the stage to feel the energy from the band.
It felt like we were all part of this communal experience of seeing a band that will gather steam in Canada, in its infancy.
It wasn’t a packed Corona Theatre or MTelus…this was a gift for the early fans that felt their music and made a connection.
Songs like Factice reminds us of that British Madchester scene where Psychedelic Rock and electronic dance music meets.
From the first beats of Twin Mime, the crowd went nuts and we sang along to one of their more popular songs off the Vyvyd album.
Vyvyan Rising might have a more relaxed atmosphere, but just as captivating as the others.
They would play songs off New Candys As Medicine and Bleeding Magenta such as the hard hitting Excess.
The set ended with the layered Overall.
Setlist
Zyko
Dark Love
Factice
Half-Heart
Twin Mime
Aphrodite in Leather
Tempera
Vyvyan Rising
Beging Again
Thrill Or Trip
Excess
Overall
Conclusion
The best thing about a small venue is hanging out with the band, before and after the gig. Some who came all the way from Toronto to catch them again, were able to talk shop.
The band shared that Montreal was their favorite destination so far, because of the European vibe and relative feeling of safety of our streets.
It was interesting to discover the challenges of the drummer, who will have to settle for whatever is available, but the addition of the sampler gives Dario some extra flexibility to make it sound close to the album.
Far from home, the band are eager to prove why they deserve to be listened to. Already in heavy rotation on my own Spotify, now their limited edition signed vinyl will see the needle on my turntable on a regular basis.
For the fortunate ones that made it to L’Esco, it will be one of those night to remember and say: I saw them in a small club before they blew up!
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator 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.
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