TFS Pictures

PS. These photos flatter my looks majorly.

TFS/Urban Blight/Keep It Up/Eating Glass

I was really excited to get to see The First Step again. This band has become one of my favorite, especially after the release of What We Know. Of course TFS were the highlight of the show but i was interested in seeing the other bands. One is newly formed and the other two rarely play shows.

Eating Glass opened up, they play really fast, pissed off thrashy hardcore. Think Infest or more recently Ceremony or even ATS. I think they only had one song more than 30 seconds and it was because the intro and the outro were longer than usual. I thought they were good for just starting out, they have a ton of potential. I hope they live up to it, Toronto needs a band like this. www.myspace.com/eatingglasshc

Next Keep It Up played. If you've heard the Generations comp Bridge 9 put out KIU had a song on it. They play youth crew hardcore with more of a modern influence, but they still come off sounding really raw and their influences really show. The last time i saw these guys play was with TFS last July so it was nice to see them play again, i just hope they start playing more shows.

Urban Blight played next, i don't think they had played a show in more than 6 months. They weren't overly tight musically but they were good enough given the circumstances. This band is a lot of fun, i think I'd really be into them if they played more shows. Quit Harshin' My Buzz is a great song Check it out: www.myspace.com/urbanblight

TFS were up next. They opened with Something Inside and got kids moshing and singing along, including myself. I suck at moshing so i basically just run across the floor looking like an idiot if I'm not singing along. The only bummer was no stage = no stage dives, but otherwise the venue has been really good since re-opening for the last few shows. Stephen ( the singer) got cut above his eye during the first song, and bled on various parts of my WHITE Fired Up shirt. Haha I'll get it out somehow. They played Time To Understand, Learning, No Way To Live, The Higher Taste, When Things Fall Apart, What We Know, And The First Step. They played a new song called Connection which sounded really good. And probably a couple more I'm forgetting. I can't really pick out a highlight of the set, every song was good, Stephen had a lot of positive meaningful things to say in between songs and the vibe of the show as a whole was really positive.

This was definitely the best show so far this year, i hope TFS come back this summer or something because it'll be hard to beat a show with them on the bill. I'm sure there will be pictures posted somewhere shortly, I'll post them or link them when i see them.

Some Videos: Urban Blight: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJNinkIz8KM
TFS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZYkPmgwvFc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwZoFAzC_nI

Iron Age/Rise And Fall

Despite the fact that we are experiencing January in April and my refusal to wear a jacket to a show this show was a lot of fun.

I hadn't really heard much about Rise and Fall before this show, aside from the fact that they were from Europe and they were REALLY heavy. I enjoyed their set, i don't think I'll really get into them on record but the signer was doing some weird stuff and the band seemed like they were dead on musically. The first song the guitarist busted out this ridiculous solo that left me wanting to burn my guitar. I was expecting him to put my abilities to shame some more, but that was it, no more eye watering riffs. I was a little disappointed with that but all in all i appreciated the energy and intensity the band brought.

I think Iron Age are one of the more talented bands in hardcore. I'm usually not big on the crushing NYHC style they play but this band is an exception. They got kids moshing, circle pitting and signing along, i was able to sing along for a few songs, the few that I've taken the time to sit down and really get a grasp on. Their lead guitarist is a seriously talented dude, if you've listened to this band much you know what I'm talking about, almost every song has a riff that I'll probably never be able to do. I was happy with the response the kids in attendance gave the band they definitely deserve it and it was nice to see everyone appreciated what they were doing.

Local band The Kill Decibel opened the show, i got there just as they ended. Hatred Surge played after them, i didn't like them. Calculated noise. And the infamous Fucked Up finished the night, i didn't stay for them, I've never really been able to get into them. Their live shows are great but i can't get into them on record.

Check out some pictures @ www.formertransformer.com