My second night of Taverne Tour was a totally different experience. I arrived at Le Ministère around eight and it was half empty. The first band was Garden of Love, a Montreal-based band. The art/punk trio had a unique sound that reminded me a little of T. Rex with vocalist/guitarist Jane Harms’ falsetto. Jane’s whole look was a vibe. Long silky hair, dark eyeliner, dangling earrings with a tweed blazer and pencil skirt and Doc Martens … I didn’t get it, but I liked it. Their songs are available on Bandcamp.
The next band, Strange Attractor, did not live up to their Spotify description which states, “our bad vibes make you feel good.” They seemed to have a couple of fans in the audience because as I was trying to take photos, I got body slammed multiple times by some large and hairy dudes who clearly had no concept of personal space, basic hygiene or respect for mature women (do they shove their moms like that?). I tried to get into it, but the frontman didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t just the shouty vocals or the chaotic guitars and frenetic drumming, but the entire energy of the band.
By the time The Mystery Lights came on it was past 10:30 and I was beginning to fade. Even the Labatt’s beer wasn’t helping. Frontman Mike Brandon apologized for the delay, explaining that they were detained at the border because his bassist forgot his passport. Anyhow, he got right into it real quick with his super twangy guitar licks and high kicks, which were delightful.
They’ve got a really groovy 60s/70s bluesy psychedelic style which captures all the flavours of all my favourite old bands and brings them into the present with a new and improved and more intense sound. Dressed in a brown mechanic’s jumpsuit with the name Mike B embroidered on his chest, he bounced around the tiny crowded stage, knocking over beers with his super rocking energy. The band sounded great live and their stage presence was better than I had hoped for.
Unfortunately the whole club became a mosh pit and Le Ministère was too small and too packed for crowd surfing. After my husband got a boot off the head, which knocked off his glasses, I decided that I was done trying to dodge the big shoving dudes. There was no safe space, so around 11 o’clock I grabbed my camera bag and got the hell out of there, sadly missing the rest of the show. If The Mystery Lights ever come back to Montreal (at a bigger venue) I’ll definitely go see them again, because they are the real deal.
Review & photos – Annette Aghazarian
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