Hunx And His Punx – La Sala Rossa – 26.04.11

What I failed to remember is that this is not a new band for me.  Hunx and His Punx is a rock band that’s originally rooted in my high school memories of electro group Gravy Train!!!! Something I hilariously only later discovered.  Standing at the bar, the very much-expected crowd of a celebratory Queer rockabilly culture walks in.  This included many skinny boys, (one with sparkly suspenders and leopard tights!), confident women, and the occasional disinterested individual.

It begins with a fairly sparse turnout, barely filling half of Sala Rossa.  I walk in to see second act, Shannon and the Clams taking the stage.  And oh, of course, the skinny boy with sparkling suspenders takes his seat as the drummer.  He’s Canadian, it turns out, and will take classic jabs at French Canadian culture by belting out the first words that come to mind when you think of French Canadian culture.  “Esti, Tabarnac, Pamplemousse” etc.  On tour celebrating their weird garage pop and punk tunes, they begin their set with a silent crowd and ominous banging of drums.  She, who I assume to be Shannon, croons at the audience with, “When You’re On.”  This is a track that escalates to the crowds’ total delight.  Following this is lo-fi jam, “You Can Come Over,” and although the live setting is a little disappointing given the potential of the recordings, Shannon and the Clams remain fairly – what’s the word… cute?  Requesting more vocals and reverb the band is working its way to a weird sock hop concluding track entitled, “I Don’t Wanna be in a Cult No More.”

The curtains close and Hunx and His Punx prep to take the stage.  Hunx (real name, Seth Bogart) is sporting a leather jacket, and oh right, of course he’s the one wearing the leopard tights.  Dude’s got good legs.  Hunx removes his jacket to reveal his shirtless interior and the band begins with power pop track “Hey Rocky” and Hunx is smacking his tambourine every which way, on every which curve of his body.  Butt tambourin-ing, if you will.  At this point the crowd has reached its official size, which again, is not overwhelming, but seems fairly familiar and comforting to the crowd and its culture.  Hunx actively sings to the audience, running his fingers through the hairs of respective skinny boys.  The highlight of the exclusive set (exclusive in the sense that if you’re not there to celebrate the thrill of running your fingers through the luscious heads of skinny boys, then you’re not really thrilled to be there), is their most accessible pop song, “Lovers Lane.”  The lights dim for this track and the crowd huddles together – even its indifferent members.  When the band takes up “Cruisin” Hunx announces that “this song is for every gay guy and every gay girl” again, much to some exclusive cuteness.

A fun show for some, less so for others – the night is best summed up when my friend Alysa turns to me and says, “Whatever floats your banana boat.”

– Sruti I

Tags: 2011, April 26, Blue Skies Turn Black, Concert, Gravy Train!!!!, Hunx, Hunx and his Punx, La Sala Rossa, Lover's Lane, Meet You At The Show, Montreal, MYATS, Review, Sala Rossa, Seth Bogart, Shannon and the Clams, Show, Sruti