Meligrove Band + Ruby Coast – O Patro Vys – 11.09.10
Wait! I should start off by saying I apologize for having missed most of the opening band’s set; blame it on my working student status. Montreal’s very own Divingbell had a loyal base of friends and fans who came out to see them on Tuesday night. The three piece were rocking it out and sounded pretty great for the few minutes that I did get to catch of their set.
But anyways, let us commence review in 3, 2, 1…
Do you know Ruby Coast? Okay, I’m giving you a minute; check them out over here. Like ‘em? Thought so. Now, go promote them with Twitter or Facebook and you’ll get a couple of free downloads. Three cheers for good music! Alright, now that that’s out of the way… Despite the ever-so-stiff indie community of Montreal, as well as the collective of dead Tuesday-blues sufferers they had for an audience (just saying, you guys are terrible inhibitors), Ruby Coast gave it their all with their catchy, booming indie-rock. They played a nice big batch of their yet-to-be-released songs, starting off their set with a synth intro that literally shook the floor of the tiny venue, and gradually faded into ”Whatever this is”, followed by “Stability”.
After a few songs, lead-singer Justice said that he was really happy to be in Montreal, but he was most of all looking forward to eating a slice of pizza from the underrated Steve Pizza, a subject he never fails to bring up during his Montreal shows. I’ve learned that if a band member ever talks about a good place to eat, and mentions it at least once every show, it’s a place worth checking out.
The five-piece followed the rest of their set with “Creep Me Out”, another awesome track from their near-future release, which got the crowd clapping along for a good bit, along with “I Live With Monsters” and honestly, if it weren’t for my lack of muscle power, I would have pulled all the lazy people to the front to dance. During the chanting chorus of their last song, “Town To Province”, the only old one they played from their Projectables Collections EP, Justice downright told the band to “shut up” for a second, and asked the audience to join in on the “oh ohs”; hurray to improvised participation! My only wish would have been that their set could have been longer, they were terrific!
Next off, a restless Meligrove Band took the stage, ready to bring the level of decibels a couple notches higher if possible. I know I did a few countdowns during this review, but it was purely out of subconscious inspiration provided by vocalist/guitarist Jason Nunes shouting “1, 2, 3, 4!” the second the four-piece was set. I was personally looking forward to this act since they were part of that list of bands that I listened to as a teenybopper 15 year old and had desperately wanted to catch live, but never got the chance to due to curfew restrictions. Sigh. In any case, I’m pretty sure I’d have been squealing if we backtracked a few years. Although their latest album, Shimmering Lights, was released almost two months ago, they played a good deal of their old songs, amongst them ”Our Love Will Make The World Go Round” and “Ages & Stages” which really got the people riled up. Their new songs sound great live as well, after getting a taste of “Really Want It”, “Make Believe It”, and “Eagles” to name a few.
Apart from their energetic performance, we had some comedic stage banter provided by drummer/vocalist Darcy Rego as an added treat. Incident number one happened when Rego said “Merci Beaucoup” after one of their songs. This led to him apologizing for his lack of french knowledge, and then to the misunderstanding that happened at the hotel when he asked for “1 salle, 2 chambres”, meaning one hall and two rooms. Rego, if the option were possible, it would make for a pretty cool hotel, to be honest. There were also Lord Of The Rings related comments made about the eccentric fog machine: “Looks like Mordor in here” and “Looks like an elf had sex with a hobbit!”. There was also mention of the horror-film “The Mist”, which stirred up a bit of an argument between the drummer and a member of the audience involving the quality of the ending of the movie. Rego thinks it was an amazing ending, but the audience member thinks not. What do you think?
Needless to say, it was pretty foggy in there, and the guys did a great job at keeping everyone entertained. Who needs cheapie-Tuesdays at the movies when you can spend your night at a perfect and interactive show that gets you pumped from all the high-packed energy? The bands played a great show and will infallibly end up on our must-see list anytime! -Sarv Wallaby A.
Meligrove Band
Ruby Coast
Photography by Matt Coelho
