It hasn't been a long time since I last saw Montreal post-punk/post-rock band Ought. It was actually back in early March at Lee's Palace. Before that, it was the summer of 2016 at Hillside.
They played a set mostly made up of tunes from their latest album Room Inside the World, punctuated by perhaps their best known tunes "Men for Miles" and "Beautiful Blue Sky"from 2015's Sun Coming Down. As I've said before, I love the contradictions that this band rolls into their uniqueness; the way the rigid yet dynamic and jittery beats and riffs meet the impassioned and character-driven vocals, coming together into something that grows on me more and more with every listening. Their sound has also grown, evolved and even stretched out with richness, emotion and space. I dive in and stay a while.
Check out Ought's music:
"Disgraced In America", "These 3 Things", "Desire" and "Disaffectation"
Toronto sing-along punks Pkew Pkew Pkew hit the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern stage for the Audiotree North launch at Canadian Music Week. I'd seen these guys play a couple of crazy shows at this very venue back in 2014. Check out those pics from when they opened for The Hold Steady here, and when they opened for Pack A.D. here.
This show seemed a little more subdued. Maybe because it was more of a music industry show than usual. The band themselves rocked out hard, playing their high energy sing-along party punk with every bit of their passion and energy. We got some new tunes, some familiar, and a bit of The Clash with "Police On My Back".
Begonia was this year's Canadian Music Week discovery for me. I didn't have a chance to listen to her music before the show and I came away super-impressed with the powerful, soulful, vulnerable, honest and personal music I heard from Winnipeg's Alexa Dirks and her band.
She and the band performed at The Horseshoe Tavern as part of the Audiotree North launch party.
What I think I liked best was the way that she seems to truly let her personality shine through in her music, delivery and demeanour. That, combined with one of the most incredible vocal and songwriting talents I've heard in a long time, mean that I'll go see her again in an instant.
Pony impressed me with their tunes the first time I saw them back at the dearly missed Silver Dollar Room at CMW 2016 and last year at Lee's Palace, also for CMW. This time at Canadian Music Week for the launch of Audiotree North, they did it again.
I love the attitude and their power chord-laden garage pop tunes, including a great new tune called "Monster" from a new EP. I feel like I’ve been looking forward to seeing Pony since last time I saw them and I'll feel that way until I see them again.
Give their music some time with your ears and don't miss their next show:
