HPX 2012 In Review: Wednesday October 17th
Tiff headed down to the Company House just in time on to catch the beginning of the talented Mark Davis' set, but after a quick drink and a few tunes, she headed towards Gus' to meet up with fellow Noisographer, Mr. Isaac Thompson for something, just a bit louder:
Wednesday night at Gus’ felt like a visit from the ghost of hard-rock past. There were torn jeans, three chord anthems, dudes with long hair and ripped t shirts, drunken rowdiness and not a shoe gazing hipster band in the lot. It was my kind of night, a throwback to the things I love about heavy, energy driven music.Bloodhouse got things started with a no-nonsense set of punk songs that exuded the fun of the Ramones and the hard hitting intensity of the early days of Fat Wreck Chords. They had amusing between song banter about things like the scores of movies from the 1990s and three minute, three chord songs that abandoned filler and embraced chaos.
Slam Dunk came all the way from Victoria BC and they kept the ball rolling with another enjoyable set of fast, jubilant rock songs. They weren’t out to reinvent the wheel and they didn’t have to. The song structures they used are timeless and the force of their live show was undeniable.
Ponctuation had the firecracker delivery of the first two bands while relying a little more on harmonies and strong melodies. Like HUMANS the night before, Gus’ was so packed by the time Ponctuation played their set I could hardly see the stage. It didn’t matter though, their set was so good and rocked so fucking hard that visuals were completely unnecessary. I will definitely see these guys again the next time they come to Halifax.
Minneapolis trio The Blind Shake may be the most hairless band to every play Gus’ pub. No long hair, shaggy beards or ruffled chest locks for these guys, but they fit right in anyway. The Blind Shake’s live show is fucking awesome. They have sweet guitar riffs for days, instantly catchy hooks, vocals that are melodious yet raw and songs that stick in your brain for days. These guys were my personal highlight of the festival thus far. They played a lean set of throwback rock and roll meets punk rock that had the crowd moshing their faces off and the band’s energetic stage presence helped further their already amazing set. They are definitely one band who will be showing up on my Ipod long after this fest is over.
It was a solid night of the kind of music that makes me excited to go to shows. It was honest, uncompromising and completely removed from any current trends that are omnipresent in today’s live music. Three chords and a lot of heart, that’s all I really want in a band.
Dan on the other hand took a little night out on the town at Reflections, while Ian headed out to the Seahorse. You can see all of their footage int he play list below.
To view all the photos from Halifax Pop Explosion 2013 - CLICK HERE
Here is a playlist of all the videos we shot on the 2nd night of HPX 2012.
Watch the embedded video or click HERE to be taken directly to the playlist.
There are 9 videos in total = 49mins of music! ENJOY!
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