Venue: Sala Rossa, Montreal
Date: Tuesday, October 27th, 2015
Enjoy last minute decisions. Had not planned on attending that evening. A friend I had meant to go with fell asleep at home (has a kid, completely reasonable) and am saving money to pay bills (bills are unreasonable).
Changed my mind.
At the Sala Rossa on Saint-Laurent boulevard. Cup of joe in me, alert for Joanna Gruesome and Nots. Or almost.
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| Joanna Gruesome at the Sala Rossa. |
JG is awesome despite having technical issues throughout the set. Very good performers, six on stage. Better live than recorded. Then again, haven't found anything recorded recently with the new band member (or band members, am all mixed up)*. The guitar player on the left with the mix-matched socks and "Personal Best" t-shirt was the most loquacious when it came time to divert us from their technical problems. Mentioned a) the beauty of watching a band play live many times in a row and b) touring is much more fun when you're drinking. A beautiful singing voice. Soothing when everything else is loud (loud in a good way). A killer contrast. Kate Stonestreet in the middle (Alanna McArdle replacement) is the one that lets out screams with a heart, only we couldn't hear much. Sound on mic not loud enough. "Two of us aren't from Wales. We're sorry about that." she told us as the set started. The bass player to her left always had his back to us. Still good though, seems he was dancing to the beat. The whole bunch was having fun you know? It makes quite a difference. Was a blast to listen. All that noise (in a good way) and soothing voices.
Nots. Sound check was scary. There was something about lead singer Natalie Hoffmann's screams that made me not want to be the sound check guy. A good set. No long breaks between songs. Just long enough for Hoffmann to take a sip of beer. Alexandra Eastburn on the synths is an added bonus to the music only she looked under some type of influence. How the hell should I know though. It's been 20 years since I've taken any drugs. The self-destructive thing I do nowadays is attend concerts without ear plugs. Anyhow, if you want a good experience at a Nots concert, you stand in the middle and stare at Hoffmann. She'll stare right back you with a dare.
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| Natalie Hoffmann. Photo Joshua Miller. |
* Trying to find their names on the web, they all have Gruesome as a last name. Confusing me all the more.
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