New Swears Make Barrymore’s Rock Again

Photos by Owen Maxwell

While most young adults in Ottawa can't even remember Barrymore's as a rock venue, New Swears amazing show for the Megaphono festival, featuring Partner and I.D.A.L.G. made the audience forget it ever stopped.

I.D.A.L.G.

The night opened with the most dance-focused set of the night thanks to I.D.A.L.G.'s mix of punk, experimental sounds and addictive beats. The band's ability to mix them all together, while providing an engaging live show, especially thanks to some eye-grabbing moves from their tambourine and keyboard player, started the night off right. 

Partner

New Brunswick's latest heroes, Partner, ripped through their set as if the whole crowd was just their small group of friends, making for a set that felt as intimate as it felt a face-melting rock show. With funny stories, mixed in with kooky personalities and stage flair, the band managed to give a set that felt indulging as they gave performance that felt utterly genuine. This didn't stop them from bringing a killer rock show, with solo's in the crowd pit, amazing licks and an overall performance so enjoyable you'd almost forget they weren't headlining.

New Swears

Who would expect anything less from New Swears than a full-throttle, non-stop party, complete with confetti, candy, stage diving and enough shenanigans to cover any other bands full tour. The band exploded onto the stage, immediately hypnotizing the audience into full dance and mosh procedure, with their momentum picking up as they went.

Their fury never ceased, even through new tracks like "Vanilla" and "Dance With The Devil," with old favourites like "Rather Be Dead" kicking the party up even further. With fans dancing on stage with the band, Sammy pouring beer on the audience from a custom made attachment on his bass and Scrubar throwing the Megaphono sign into the crowd, it seemed like the only predictable moment of the night was the band's signature human pyramid, which didn't disappoint.

Overall New Swears gave an all out explosion of energy in their set thanks to constant efforts to outdo themselves, the party favours circling every few minutes and playing to their strengths to remind everyone why they're the party band in Ottawa.  

Setlist:
Day Dreaming
Midnight Lovers
Dance With The Devil
Two Darts
Vanilla
Paradise
Rather Be Dead
Brand New Spot
See You In Hull
No Fun
Stay Gold