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THE EXPLOITED, TOTAL CHAOS, AUDIO VISCERAL, SPADES GT, TARAH WHO? In Ottawa, Canada By Andrew Depedro, Ottawa Corespondent Tuesday, October 22, 2024 @ 10:41 AM
Punk and disorderly!
A total of 90+ years of old and new school punk experience gathered at the Brass Monkey on a muggy summer's day under the touring banner of Punk's Not Dead/40 Years On The Road and also finally provided my brother-in-law Hubert a birthday gift he'd remember for the ages. And whether you were a punk, a metalhead, an alt rock fan or a combination of all three, this concert was a culmination of many a genre that rescheduled evening.
https://www.facebook.com/Tarahwho
https://www.facebook.com/SpadesGTMusic
https://www.facebook.com/audiovisceralband
https://www.facebook.com/totalchaospunx
And while we're on the topic of late-night booze-fueled performances - and also completely and intentionally fashionably late appearances- the evening's headliners THE EXPLOITED quickly claim the stage with the anti-Falklands invasion number "Let's Start A War (Said Maggie One Day)" - and the pit goes wild as Hubert single-handedly revives the art of pogoing in the audience. It's basically jumping up and down occasionally in one spot or jumping and slamming into someone nearby. It's amazingly a lot safer than latter-day moshing in some cases. But for Edinburgh, Scotland-born frontman and longest-lasting member Wattie Buchan, a packed audience thriving on the chaos he sings about from having experienced it first hand was what appeared to have helped him and the rest of the band - bassist Irish Rob (who's actually from Belleville, Ontario), guitarist Steve Campbell and drummer Dominic Hardy - run through an impressive 25-song set and breach the 11 PM local noise curfew by about 90 minutes. Hell, it was even a miracle that this show happened at all as it had been billed as a new date from last year after both headlining bands on the tour were denied entry into the country just after those same shows had to be rescheduled earlier following Wattie's fourth (or fifth) heart attack; fortunately, despite the hassle that Canadian customs had given them - and Wattie didn't mince words when describing his experience - the band put in an energetic performance. From the old school stomp of classics such as "UK '82", "Dead Cities", "Cop Cars" and "I Believe In Anarchy" as well as a rousing cover of THE VIBRATORS' "Troops Of Tomorrow" to more thrashier numbers such as "The Massacre" and "Beat The Bastards", THE EXPLOITED covered 40+ years of their catalogue. Even latter-day - actually, 2003 - numbers were well represented in the form of "Noize Annoys" and "Never Sell Out" from their last studio album Fuck The System and showed that the band had plenty of vitriol and fury to dole out. Did I mention that Wattie survived five heart attacks and still put on a nearly two-hour show? Cardiovascular issues definitely didn't stop him from that tried-and-true EXPLOITED show tradition of inviting the audience up on the stage during the encore, as "Sex & Violence", "Punk's Not Dead" and "Was It Me" closed out the sold-out show, for which the audience could claim to truly be a part of.
Special thanks to all of the bands involved as well as Skotti and the Brass Monkey in fighting like hell to make this show happen and to upcoming birthday boy Hubert for sharing in the experience and for talking me out of wearing sandals to the gig.
https://www.facebook.com/theexploitedofficial
Setlist:
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Opening the show would be LA-based quartet TARAH WHO? and their rather 90's alt-rock inspired sound that makes up their sonic DNA. Described as MOTORHEAD meets ALANIS MORRISSETTE, the band fronted by Parisian-born vocalist/guitarist/percussionist Tarah G. Carpenter have amassed a good following since their formation in 2013. With their latest and fourth disc The Last Chase, the band - whose members include drummer Niko Kraken, guitarist Lisa Bianco and bassist Joey Southern - deal out a good variety of the finest early 90's grunge and mid-2000's garage rock. Opening with the doom-sounding thump of "R.A.D.I.O.", the band quickly switch into fourth gear with "Numb Killer", "Toast To The Brave", "Pantomath" and new tracks "Army Of Women" and "Safe Zone". And while dulcet slide guitar riffs and ferocious bass drum solos aren't what defines punk, try telling that to Lisa as she effortlessly glides her way through an improvised version of "The Showdown". Or even to Tarah herself as she brings down the hammer on the giant keg adorning the band's name on the side during some of the closing numbers "Cough Drop" and "Down". And while Tarah herself was otherwise of few words when it came to introducing a song or two in between or thanking the audience that night, she ensured that band's performance would have many folks remembering the rawness of TARAH WHO? - and just think....they were only the opening band....
Fast and powerful would be the best description for both a sports car and a crossover punk/thrash band with a name that sounds like they were named after a sports car. And, indeed, when it came to living up to that definition, Barrie, Ontario-based self-proclaimed rock 'n roll saviors SPADES GT were prepared to bring their top gear for this event. Fresh out of the garage with their revved-up 2023 debut Sewer City Radio, the quartet comprised of Daniel Horton (guitar), JD Pearce (vocals), Tyler Reiner (the son of legendary ANVIL pounder/drummer Robb "Robbo" Reiner, so one can guess what instrument he plays) and current bassist Jay "The Beard" Sarrazin. Their music and stage attire may owe more to MOTORHEAD and ROSE TATTOO - and to be honest, even a few evident nods to ANVIL - but the energy is 100% palpable to the punk scene. With bombastically heavy bruising numbers ranging from the opener "They Live" and "Rise" to sleaze-tastic street ready tracks such as "Final Girl" and "Succubus" all the way to the grimy unwashed closing title track, SPADES GT show an unpolished driving ambition for many of their peers to dig.
Celebrating 14 years in the troughs in which in between, they recorded four studio albums, toured with several punk legends including D.O.A., co-founded a well-known local craft beer company and made the cassette so fashionable that Hubert ended up buying two of them following their performance, Vankleek Hill's AUDIO VISCERAL are a band full of surprises. So surprising in fact that I didn't even know they were even on this bill at first let alone immediately know who they were. Yet, the trio's uplifting and energetic brand of hardcore/surf punk kept the pit raging for the next half hour or so. Credit goes to dapperly-dressed frontman/guitarist (and CEO/co-founder of Beau's All-Natural Brewing Company) Steve Beauchesne who can belt out a proper punk rager like "One Fight Away" one moment and a catchy surf rock-inspired banger like "Dot Dot Dot" the next. Credit also goes to the rhythm section of bassist Kevin James and drummer Gary Doherty whose fast-timed blast beats particularly excel on "One More Minute", "Sick" and "Wonderful Life". All in all, a decently tight set from an emerging local punk band wearing its influences loud and proud on both its sleeve and on cassette form on Punk Canada Vol. 3, an album collection of Canadian punk rock covers they'd taken part on with their rendition of the DIODES' "Tired Of Waking Up Tired".
Hairdos of Daniel Ash! Similar speaking voice of John Cusack! And true punk spirit of several of its past leather jacket and spiked haired brethren! Behold the essence of Cali thrash punks TOTAL CHAOS, who, at 35 years as a collective unit, are self-described hardcore punk rock thicker than the mold in Johnny Rotten's Marina Del Ray flat. They're already becoming interesting alone based on that description alone no matter who in the band's camp came up with it. Fronted by sole remaining original member Rob Chaos, the veteran band quickly took the stage that night with the thrash bastard opener "War Is A Racket" from their recent disc Mind Warfare. With current members Shawn Smash (guitar), Geordy Justify (bass) and Miguel Conflict (drums), the latest incarnation of TOTAL CHAOS live up to their name and then some. With a grand total of 11 full-length studio albums including the aforementioned Mind Warfare, TOTAL CHAOS play as if they're determined to perform every single one of them live that night - which they probably could have given that their songs average about 2.5 minutes in length or the equivalent of 1.5 HIRAX songs. And for songs whose subject matter range across a wide array of controversial societal subject matters such as homelessness ("Squatters Song") and law enforcement brutality ("Police Rat") as well as, evidently, war ("War Is A Racket"), their choruses are infectiously catchy. Not "Bohemian Rhapsody" at karaoke at 2 AM "catchy", but Rob Chaos knew how to get everyone in the front row rallying loudly against authority with the right amount of alcohol consumption often equally required to attempt singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" for karaoke at 2 AM. That, in of itself, is totally chaotic determination.
Truly a hell of a performance from a band making their official return back to Ottawa after 40 years.
