El Mocambo
11:05pm A Lull have a powerful sound driven by intense, almost tribal rhythms courtesy of two drummers. The guitarist and bassist also picked up some sticks during the set to bang on something.
11:09pm It would be easy for this Chicago five piece to fall into the trap of just assaulting listeners with overwhelming percussion interludes. This is why rock bands that emphasize percussion often come off as gimmicky. When you have so many drums on stage, it’s much easier to club people over the head with mallets and drumsticks, hoping to make some sort of impression, than to actually write good songs. Luckily, A Lull also have a strong singer who manages enough memorable melodies to ensure that they won’t only be tagged as the band with the loud drums.
11:15pm Despite their obvious talent and polished sound, the front man should refine his stage presence. Don’t clear your throat directly into the mic like five times during your set.
— Sean MacKay
Horseshoe Tavern
12:15am The dynamic of this festival is unique because almost everyone cleared out following PS I Love You, but the venue filled up in moments with a fresh batch of concert goers who were waiting outside to see Montreal’s Suuns.
12:25am For eerie, abrasive noise rock, Suuns have some surprisingly danceable numbers. The guitar riffs can be groovy yet dissonant and the drums are sometimes funky, other times spastic. I guess their “dark electro rock” tag is fitting.
12:27am The Horseshoe’s ceiling is definitely dripping on me. Best not to think about where the water’s coming from since I don’t want to lose my nice view.
12:35am Suuns are unpredictable. Their metallic, brooding grooves will devolve into ear drum destroying clatter, only to return more fully formed after a minute of terrifying noise.
1:11am I know I’ve heard louder bands, but No Joy are absolutely deafening right now. It’s not even the washed out reverb laden guitars that are getting to me, it’s the vocals that are making me wonder if ear plugs would be a good idea.
1:15am The only bands I’ve really enjoyed at this festival so far are from Montreal — Parlovr yesterday night and now Suuns and No Joy. Is Montreal winning the indie wars? Is it even a competition?
1:20am If I had been completely unfamiliar with No Joy’s excellent debut Ghost Blonde, I’d say the vocals were inaudible due to poor mixing. But knowing their sound, I can say the vocals are right where they’re supposed to be. On the record and live you can never make out what Laura Lloyd or Jasmine White-Glutz are singing — the words don’t matter, they function as just an ethereal series of notes forming melodies. What they’re singing about isn’t important, but the vocals are still vital to fully flesh out the sound.
1:40am No Joy haven’t said a word to the crowd for the duration of their set. That’s okay though, the head-banging is a sure sign that they’re having a good time. Why bother wasting breath on banter when there’s melodious noise to be made.
— SM
The Phoenix
8:05pm First up is Gauntlet Hair from Denver. They sound like an 80s rock band playing in an empty swimming pool. So basically like a heavier, all-male Cocteau Twins. Cool sound, but the song writing doesn’t stand out so much.
8:22pm Ugh. Why are there beach balls at this, so far sparsely attended, in-door concert?
8:25pm Stupid beach balls.
9:09pm Hey, it’s The Dodos! Once I get over how much this sounds like Animal Collective, I am enjoying it. They sound a lot like Animal Collective, though.
10:08pm Alright, Dodos were pretty cool, but it’s time to once again have my understanding of rock music shaken by Deerhoof! For the uninitiated: they’re a four-piece from San Francisco that plays semi-improvised noise-pop. They are what jazz would sound like if it was exciting to my cynical, over-stimulated, twenty-year-old brain.
11:10pm Incredible set, as expected. If I didn’t have other obligations, I would totally follow Deerhoof on tour in a microbus. See you tomorrow Varsity!
— Dan Berube
