It was a stacked night of music at the first night of JUNOfest at House of Targ, with four amazing bands coming together to give an unbelievable night of shows to the subterranean venue.
No Fuss
Launching the night on their killer bass and drums set, the local duo riled up the crowd tanks to their energetic punk-party-rock. Joking with the crowd throughout and moving through their entire set there was no shortage of entertainment. Thanks to their amazingly tight performance and stellar lead vocals from both sides while playing it was an impressive set as well.
Expanda Fuzz
Switching to a more subdued feeling, this drum-less duo launched into a set recalling bands like The Kills and The Raveonettes, in their drum-machine-driven, slow-burning bliss of a set. While a lot more still there was so much going on musically between the two sharply dressed members it was hard to keep track of what to follow.
The Dirty Nil
These rockers managed to outdo their set at TD Place thanks to the intimacy Targ provided for their bouncing-off-the-walls set. Their singer Luke couldn't stay in one place the whole night, shrieking into the microphone with youthful passion whenever possible. The powerful lunges, calls and points to the crowd, and the constant electricity the band kept going throughout their set was a sight to behold.
Blasting through their unforgettable songs like "Cinnamon" urging cries of "You can be pissed off if you want to" from the crowd, while tracks like "F*ckin' Up Young" and "Zombie Eyed" found them driving the crowd into a vicious frenzy that was all their own.
Dilly Dally
Walking on stage in a jersey for Stone Cold Steve Austin, singer Katie Monks set the off-kilter tone perfectly as the band launched into "Snake Head" taking the already heightened energy from the Dirty Nil set and harnessing it for themselves.
The band kept their quirky fury blasting through the night as guitarist Liz and bassist Jimmy traded goofy looks while swinging back and forth with their guitars. Drummer Benjamin kept the band's noisy-rock on course as they crashed through their set, never losing his laser focus.
As they thrashed through "Get To You" in their smoky, low-lit set they found the crowd singing back to every lyric, swaying the extended beat the song carries through its glistening riff. Flipping this with the burning intensity of "Ballin' Chain" they brought the energy back up to a fever pitch.
This led in perfectly to the band's barn-burning single "Purple Rage" as the distortion ripped through the amplifiers, head's rocking on full-tilt. The rasp of Monks' vocals simmered through the speakers, and the cries from the crowd vibrated the walls as the song's satisfying "YEAAAHH" roar hit with every last crackle of Monks' and the crowd's voices.
Playing viciously through tracks like "The Touch" and a self-described evil new track the band kept it all going, managing to straddle a sense of cool with a brutal anger that was all to addictive to join in on, especially with their new music having listening ears piqued.
Closing on "Desire" they made sure the crowd didn't get off easy, with the song's dynamic back-and-forth pushing the crowd up and down. The explosive sound and rush along the stage from the band was hypnotic and Monks' gritty vocals were no worse for wear as she used every last bit of them to close out the song, along with the smoother lines she brought to the track. Riffs flying off as cymbals rung endlessly the night was brought to feedback-laden ending as the band finished their short but captivating set.
