After releasing a series of band teasers over the past few weeks, Montebello Rockfest has finally released its full lineup today.
Amy Shark makes her Ottawa Debut at Babylon Night Club w/ Milck
Walking into the Babylon to see a shirt that read “One Woman Riot” hanging at the merch table I knew I was in for a night well spent. With it being International Women’s Day, I could think of no better way to spend it then supporting women in music doing their creative thing. All the way from Australia, Amy Shark made her Ottawa debut alongside LA’s Milck Thursday night at Babylon Night Club. This show turned out to be STRONG, on many levels.
Radiohead announce 2018 North America Tour
Radiohead have announced a sixteen show North American tour kicking off in Chicago in July.
The Old Smugglers – Hard Pan to Chaos
They look like gangsters from the 1940’s, they sing about the salty sea, they play instruments that look like they were scavenged from a shipwreck, and on November 10th, 2017, The Old Smugglers revealed their 3rd album “Hard Pan to Chaos”.
The Old Smuggler’s are a duo, The Infamous Dr. Thunder & Mister December – and it seems that’s all they need; no drummer, no bass player, although occasionally Dr. Thunder plays bass for live shows. Nonetheless, their stage performances are far from lackluster, quite the opposite. Don’t be deceived by what appears to be a stripped down act, these guys can fill a room with thick guitar tones, gravel in their throats, and fire in their eyes. This approach translates naturally from the stage to their recordings, percussion and bass are used as a more of a spice than a main ingredient. That being said, there aren’t any moments that feel hollow or as though anything is missing. Like a pirate with a broken paddle for a peg leg, a mangled coat hanger for a hook hand, and a dirty marble for a glass eye, it’s all sorts of messed up and yet that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to be.
“…Lyrics that are sharper than sharks teeth and fueled by moonshine.”
Uriah Heep woos the crowds all over again at The Brass Monkey.
When I was in my early teens, my mother decided she needed to educate me on legendary musicians and bought me Uriah Heep’s Live January 1973 album, and it was eye-opening. Never in my wildest dreams I ever imagined I would ever see them live, but to my amazement the band announced their tour a few months back, which also included two Ottawa dates.
Children of Bodom brings 20 Years Down & Dirty to Bronson Centre.
Finland’s extreme metal superstars Children of Bodom brought their 20 Years Down & Dirty to Ottawa on Wednesday night and things were bound to get crazy!
The progressive death metal band Uncured from New York opened the metal night at the absolutely packed Bronson Centre.
The second to hit the stage was Lost Society from Jyvaskyla, Finland. The young band has an insane amount of positive energy on stage, and their short but solid set was sure to warm up any trash metal fans in the audience with influences from Megadeth and Pantera.
The much anticipated Dutch horror metal band Carach Angren entered the stage surrounded by ghostly holograms was sure to be a memorable performance. The haunting synth combined with the heavy guitar riffs and some extreme drumming combined with singer Dennis Droomer’s guttural vocals left more than a few people collecting their jaws off the floor and wanting to see more of the theatrical band.
It’s hard to believe it has been 20 years since Children of Bodom released their debut album Something Wild. The front man Alexi Laiho seems to be in the best shape ever and making his larger than life guitar solos look absolutely effortless.
The band has been on the road most of the year, touring in Europe in the spring, and bringing in the North American leg of the tour in October, having only two shows left in Canada after the Ottawa show. There was no sign tiredness showing from any of the band members as they put on a show that turned the ecstatic Bronson Centre crowd into a giant mosh pit and a flow of crowd surfers going through the floor for most of the second half of the show.
It has been a while since I’ve seen such a passionate audience, singing almost every song from word to word. Laiho was clearly enjoying his time on stage as well, encouraging the crowd to be louder.
Children of Bodom is one of the biggest bands to come out of the promised land of metal bands, and showed us what it takes to conquer the world, over and over.
Setlist:
- Deadnight Warrior
- In The Shadows
- Needled 24/7
- Hatebreeder
- Lake Bodom
- Warheart
- Hate Me!
- Red Light In My Eyes Part 2
- Downfall
- Everytime I Die
- Children of Bodom
- Hate Crew Deathroll
- Bed of Razors
- Kissing the Shadows
Encore:
- The Nail
- Towards Dead End
By Laura Collins.
DUA LIPA SELF-TITLED TOUR ROCKS TORONTO
Pop brilliance was exploding with independent female empowerment. Dua Lipa brought Toronto melodies and deep smoky vocals, which had us shaking in our boots.
Canadian Folk Music Awards Nights 1&2 @ Bronson Centre
The Canadian Folk Music Awards happened in Ottawa this past weekend. The concert series paired with award ceremony was held at The Bronson Centre and featured nominated artists from across Canada showcasing talent from coast to coast to coast! (Bolded artists within the nomination lists below are the recipients of the awards.)
Taste of Iceland brings Mammút and Fufanu to Toronto.
The annual, four day touring festival Taste of Iceland arrived in Toronto on November 9-12th to highlight the best of Icelandic culture, and showcasing the Nordic nation’s cuisine, music, art, film and literature in free events around the city.