Back from Montreal

Ahh the great white north, Sunday I caught my first show in Montreal at a great little venue La Tulipe. I've got to send a big "thank you" to False 45th for letting me tag along. He was an excellent host and thank god he knew his way around Montreal(and he isn't an axe murderer).
We arrived at the club just moments late. Up here shows start right when they say they will, something that rarely happens in Oklahoma. In effect we missed maybe one song. The Spinto band put on a great show. I know I've said it countless times before but I love to see a band that enjoys themselves on stage. The Spintos have a very exuberant stage presence, lots of banter with the crowd, spastic dancing, bobble headed head bopping and one of the guitarists is fond of the mini windmill. Going in the Spinto band was the act I was most familiar with and they played a short set(maybe 40 minutes?) that felt longer. One of the highlights was a cover of ELO's classic Mr. Blue Sky that included the singer for W.A.S. and a guitarist for Art Brut on drunken backing vocals. They ended with Oh Mandy.
Download - The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy

I was looking forward to Art Brut's set for the simple fact that the internet has been full of reports on how great they are live and guess what, they are right on. Live Art Brut are the best kind of rock band, loud, fun and not at all serious. Songs that seem a bit repetitive and simplistic on disc sound like perfect rockers on stage. They truly make you feel like you could and should start a band immediately opened with the first few bars of Back in Black before launching into Formed a Band. The between song banter was largely about what each song was about, or good natured jabs at We Are Scientists. The show also sported a "mosh pit", something that I had seen the last of years ago. The pits at this show rivaled anything from the mosh pits early 90's hayday. Things got so wild that the crowd was admonished to dance safely. At one point the singer jumped off the stage and walked right past me singing as he made his way aound the club. They were a great act and I think I had a smile on my face the entire set.

Download - Art Brut - Formed a Band

Download - Art Brut - Modern Art

I really haven't listened to much from We Are Scientists so I wasn't expecting too much from their show, besides how do you follow a perfect set from Art Brut. With great songs, male nudity, synchronized dances, pies and a 15 minute 14 person cover of the Eagles "Hotel California", that's how. Musically W.A.S. had it wired, this was the last date of the tour for them and they went all out. They covered art brut's "Bang Bang Rock and Roll" with some help and synchronized dancing from the entire Spinto Band dressed in oversive W.A.S. shirts. They spent a lot of time between songs talking shit(good naturedly) about Art Brut. Towards the end of the set the basses jumped off stage, made his way throughout the still churning "mosh pit" and played in the middle of the floor in a circle of concert goers(false 45th and I were right on the edge of said circle). He then made his way back on stage and stripped down to a pair of pink underwear, apparently he had been wearing the same outfit for the past three weeks as part of a bet, which he won. The last song featured the Spinto Band(wearing W.A.S. underwear on their heads) throwing pies in the faces of all the band members. Then they were joined onstage by all of Art Brut and The Spinto Band for an excellent cover of "Hotel California". It was quite simply a great rock and roll show.

Download - We Are Scientists - The Great Escape