Vivian Girls – La Sala Rossa – Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

As Montreal’s Drunk Dial readied themselves, people began to filter in, ready to head bang alongside one other to the music of the night. The band began by quickly blasting their way through “So Second”. Drunk Dial consists of Eben Ickx and Yan Basque on guitars, Meghan Merrigan on drums and vocals and finally Crystal McNorton on bass and vocals. The two women, although obviously more feminine than their male band-mates, rocked out way harder than the guys. Not only did these two provide the vocals, but they also screeched, cried and yelped to one another as they sang of mind control, stalking and other such lovely themes. After rolling through a nice batch of songs the band brought things to an end with their song “Hand Cream”, which included a pretty mind-blowing guitar solo.

London, UK’s Male Bonding were up next, and immediately made their presence felt. Unlike on record, their sound was a lot cleaner, and it was much easier to hear the addictive and melodic bass lines weaving throughout each song. The lead vocals were dreamy and spacey at times, powerful and punky at others but always impeccable. The bassist skillfully managed to not only perform the backing vocals with ease, but two different melodies of backing vocals, all the while sliding and slithering over the stage almost a la Micheal Jackson. Male Bonding’s sound was electrifying, and their show was so enjoyable that it flew by in what felt like a matter of minutes and not only did they sound good, but they were pretty fun to watch as well.

By the time New York’s Vivian Girls took the stage, the crowd at La Sala Rossa were standing shoulder-to-shoulder ready for more. Cassie Ramone, Katy Goodman (Kickball Katy) and Ali Koehler wasted no time by jumping right into “I Have No Fun” and at the same time jumping into the hearts of everyone in the room. From start to finish, Ramone sang with incredible energy and liveliness. These girls are so refreshing not only to the ears but to the eyes as well. Vivian Girls are the real deal. But even though they seem like tough girls on the outside, it is obvious that these girls have caring hearts and absolutely love what they do. The band’s songs are pretty similar live as compared to their recorded material, but what is most enjoyable live were their gorgeous three-part harmonies. With every song the crowd became more and more at ease as they head-banged and jumped to the music with increasing energy and spirit. Surprisingly, Vivian Girls were the ‘calmest’ band of the night as they followed the hollering Drunk Dial and Male Bonding’s noisy and fast tempo. They did however, put on an excellent set of expertly balanced roaring guitars, heavy drums and shrill vocals. In the end it was an exciting and thrilling night enjoyed by all. – Amelia Robitaille

Lire cet article en Français!

Vivian Girls

Male Bonding

Drunk Dial

Photography by David Gosselin

Vivian Girls’ Set List:

I Have No Fun
Death
Tell The World
Other
Tension
Never See Me Again
Lake House
Second Date
The End
Before I Start To Cry
When I’m Gone
Out For The Sun
Wild Eyes

Drunk Dial’s Setlist:

So Second
Mind Cont
Party
Auto-Moronic
Jane Fonda Sex Tape
Rev. Mid.
Damage
Dep Wine
Dentured Servitude
Hand Cream

Tags: concert review, Drunk Dial, La Sala Rossa, London, Male Bonding, March 8, Micheal Jackson, Montreal, New York, Sala Rossa, Set List, Vivian Girls