Show Overview: DARBY HALL + THE THETANS + FAT STUPIDS + SLUMLORD+NYMPHETS
Overview by Isaac Thompson
DARBY HALL
THE THETANS
FAT STUPIDS
SLUMLORD
NYMPHETS
Gus’ Pub, 1 night, 5 bands.
Let’s get cracking!
Band # 1: The Fat Stupids
Fast, snotty, well executed old school punk rock. Strings were broke, mics fell over and Guitarist Craig Hamlin played a solo while doing something resembling a headstand. The Fat Stupid’s pedigree reads like a list of the best underground Halifax bands of the last ten years: the Dean Malenkos, the Whiskey Kisses, Montgomery Moth, Nerd Army, The Dead Pinkertons, Tongan Death Grip and Dead Red. They played a quick, no-nonsense set of skilfully sloppy punk. The songs were catchy and had tons of balls. I couldn’t make out the lyrics, but it’s a punk night at Gus’ Pub, I’m not really supposed to be able to make out the lyrics. Good songs, Good set, great musicians. Next!
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Band the 2nd: Slumlord
Slumlord kept the punk rock ball rolling while mixing in a little metal. Their sound was very Motorhead. There was a male and female singer, both handled their duties well, growling and barking their way through the songs while keeping a grasp on the melody and fun hooks that keep the kids dancing. A special kudos to Slumlord for their broken string incident - instead of bringing the set to a screeching halt and wasting everyone’s time, the guitarist/singer restrung his guitar while singing the next song. It was a very bad-ass way for the band to deal with technical problems and use it to their advantage.
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Band # 3: The Thetans
The Fantods and No fliers Please are two COMPLETELY different sounding bands, but who knew that if you combined the aggression and weirdness of the Fantods with the fun power pop of NFP, you would end up with something that goes together like peanut butter and chocolate? The Thetans , that’s who! Their songs were a lot of fun, especially the ones where the three vocalists traded off verses, taking the songs in all kinds of unexpected directions. The Thetans had a great stage presence, most of the band members are local indie veterans and look as comfortable on stage as if they were lounging in their living rooms. I would see these guys again in a second. Whether you are a Scientologist or a smart person, there is plenty about the Thetans to enjoy.
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Band #4: The Nymphets
I’ve reviewed The Nymphets at least twice before and my opinion of them hasn’t changed. They have a sweet CBGB punk era sound, their songs are memorable and intelligent (in that stupid/brilliant punk rock way). The Nymphets are a band that don’t muck around and if you blink you might miss them. The only amount of time spent between songs is the “click, click, click” of the drumsticks and then they are on to the next one. This is something I admire about the band, they don’t give the set enough time to be boring, but even if they did the songs are good enough that it would be fine.
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And finally, band # 5: Darby Hall
It was the night of the underground super-bands, Darby Hall was no exception. I’ve seen the members in various other local bands throughout the years including the Bad Motels and one of my all-time favourite local bands, the KNA (a.k.a. the Kansas Nebraska Act), so I was pretty much sold from the word “go”. Darby Hall did not disappoint; they fuse punk rock, new wave, dance and good ol’ rock n’ roll together creating a non-stopped party. Their songs were well constructed and instantly enjoyable. The music is heavy on the hooks (not only from the vocals, but the keyboards, guitars and bass were loaded with hooks) but keeping with the aggressive style of the members’ previous bands. It was especially cool to see Martin Hoben (who I’ve known for years as a great guitarist) on vocals. He is so affable and has so much charisma that singing in a band seems like a forgone conclusion. I was happy to see him knock it out of the park. He has an original vocal style and a confident delivery and seems at home fronting a band. If you weren’t at Gus’ on Thursday (which, judging by the size of the crowd, you probably weren’t) you totally missed out.
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show
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