After the pretty disappointing news announcement on Twitter that Turnover couldn’t make it to the show, I was really hoping the show would still be as good as I expected it to be. The night didn’t start in the best way, as I was not able to make it to the first opening band but I was still able to be there for two of my favourite bands: Basement and The Story So Far.
With a packed Corona Theatre, the English band Basement started their set. For those of you that don’t know about them, Basement is a band formed in 2009 and signed to Run For Cover Records. They released two EP’s and two LP’s but went on a hiatus in 2012. Good thing for us, they decided to end it early 2014 to resume making awesome music and playing great live shows.
Now, let’s talk about their set. What a pleasure to my ears it was. I was really looking forward to seeing them for the first time and they did not disappoint at all. Starting with “Whole” from their second album Colourmeinkindness, full of indie riffs with punk influences, I knew right away it was the start of a great night. Next was “Fading”, the opening song from their first opus, I Wish I Could Stay Here. More riffs, thick bass lines and a double vocal attack to take you away for a few minutes. Basement knows exactly how to carry you with their words and music and to make you forget about the rest. Vocally, Andrew Fisher was quite amazing.
With other classics such as “Yoke”, “Pine” or even “Crickets Throw Their Voice”, their performance was outstanding and offered us a quality rock show. The crowd was really into them, and so was I. The fans kept going on stage, diving and crowd surfing, it was amazing to see. Their final song was “Covet”, which was definitely expected with its Pixies sound at the beginning and the singalong chorus “When I’m with you, I don’t wanna be with you”. The band is expected to release Promise Everything in 2016: Needless to say, go check it out as soon as it comes out.
Basement Setlist:
Whole
Fading
Earl Grey
Canada Square
Bad Apple
Spoiled
Summer’s Colour
Promise Everything
Breathe
Yoke
Pine
Crickets Throw Their Voice
Covet
The Story So Far, one of the main bands of the Pop Punk scene, were back in Montreal to perform their self-titled album, released back in the spring, on tour. I wouldn’t have missed it for the whole world. Around 10pm, it was finally their time to begin a 15-song long set. Old songs, new songs, whatever you wanted, they delivered. The Walnut Creek, California natives opened their set with “Nerve”, taken from their last album. The band also played other new songs such as “Heavy Gloom”, “Distaste”, “Solo” and “Mock”, showing their maturity, the fact that all band members grew as a unit and that more than ever before, The Story So Far ROCKS.
Older songs were also part of the set list and definitely delighted the crowd. Parker Cannon was full of energy, putting out a show and proving to us that Pop Punk was very much alive throughout the set. Fans were satisfied and off their feet for the whole night. I’m pretty sure that during their set more than a hundred people stage dived. Good thing for me, I was a little bit on the side of the stage or else I would’ve probably ended up with a few bruises!
The highlights of their set were to me their most well-known songs, such as “Things I Can’t Change”, “Quicksand” or “Roam”, since I didn’t have the chance to listen to that last album enough to know every single lyric like I do for those particular songs. There were no real breaks in between tracks, except a few “Cheers!” and “Fuck, yeah!” coming from Parker Cannon, and it was more than appreciated. Everyone in the venue just wanted to get going and hear more.
The band closed with “Empty Space”, another one of my personal favourites. By the end of the set, I could see most people drenched in sweat and some of them on the verge of passing out, after stage diving, moshing or just even screaming the lyrics from the top of their lungs. The Story So Far took our breath away that night, literally, making this performance the best I’ve seen from them.
The Story So Far Setlist:
Nerve
The Glass
Heavy Gloom
All Wrong
Bad Luck
Distaste
Solo
Things I Can’t Change
High Regard
Mock
Clairvoyant
Quicksand
Framework
Roam
Empty Space
Review – Maxime Le Huidoux
Photos – Johan Boutin
