Show Overview: A Eulogy for the Fantods - February 3rd 2012

A Eulogy for the Fantods

We gather here today to mourn the loss and commemorate the life of a great band. The Fantods were true artists and by all accounts, friendly folk. For ten long years they expanded the minds of music fans while rocking them off their asses. And in a strange irony, their life as a band was far more bloody and chaotic than their demise (which came in the form of an ass-kickin final bash at Gus’ Pub). In their glory days there bottles broken over bloody heads, paper suits set on fire, full sized crow costumes… and those are merely the antics of Dan Gallant, the lead singer. I wouldn’t dare speak of the blasphemies and forbidden ceremonies perpetrated by bassists Tim Topping and Tony McGowan, guitarist Jay Methot, guitarists/vocalist Neil Peacock or drummer Gary Peacock.

Like many of you, I have been personally touched by the Fantods, both spiritually and inappropriately. My old band played with them all the time. They were always stand-up gents, great showmen and I can confirm that their parties are just as wild as their stage show.

I’ve been a fan of the group’s music for almost as long as they’ve been together. They take fragments of the all the best dark, twisted art of the last few hundred years and morph them into a sinister madhouse of killer grooves and trippy guitar effects. Their music has hints of old punk and hard-core with the off-kilter feel of songwriters like Tom Waits and Nick Cave. There is also plenty of huge guitar riffs and unhinged aggression but it’s all wrapped up in a big sardonic grin. Like any great band their music has constantly evolved throughout the years yet maintained the stamp of what made them the Fantods. They’ve never been afraid to experiment but they’ve always been confident in what they were aiming for. Their sets were always like a house party in hell. I’ve always found them to be one of the most consistently entertaining bands around.

During their final hurrah, the Fantods were joined by Geordi Vision, Fat Stupids and No Flyers Please. It was an eclectic celebration that was attended pretty much to capacity; a testament to the lives that were touched by the Fantods (both spiritually and inappropriately).

The bands were all top notch. Geordi Vision got the place dancing, Fat Stupids pummeled the room with short punk rock bursts (we’re talking 100% pure, no preservatives punk rock), and No Flyers Please had the crowd begging More Flyers Please!

Then the Fantods began their final set before returning to the ashes and dust from which they crawled forth. For over an hour the Fantods played songs that spanned their entire existence and each one was a classic that made me feel nostalgic for when I first heard them. I also recognized the sense of loss, that I would never hear these songs live again. Mostly I felt the music surging through my body and commanding my psyche like the devil whispering in my ear the sweet song of Armageddon.

Towards the end of their set Tony, the Fantods original bassist, joined them and they played a few of their very first songs, which held up well next to the rest of their material. After a five song encore the bar staff turned the lights on, but no one seemed ready to leave. Maybe we all started to wonder if this had to be the end. We had all just had our faces torn off by the awesome power of rock and maybe we wanted more, maybe the Fantods had more to say. But of course, we all soon realize that maybes are an empty currency. Death is death and it has claimed the Fantods. They were a band that many of us loved and many were not ready to let go of.

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Enjoy the whole set here:


Words: Isaac Thompson
Photos/Video: Tiffany Naugler