Saturday, August 14, 2010

Their lucky day

If you like powerpop, Babylon was the place to be last night, as Paul Collins graced the stage along with three combos of his devout disciples. Powerpop is big in Ottawa right now, what with Mother's Children, White Wires and others rocking the sound of the Raspberries, Big Star, Cheap Trick and, yes, Paul Collins groups like The Nerves and The Beat.

Things started with Montreal combo The Walnut Kids ... their 7-inch is almost sold out and they were sounding hotter than ever both on their own material and a ripping cover of The Real Kids' All Kinds of Girls.

The Walnut Kids at Babylon
The Walnut Kids, Babylon, August 13, 2010

They were followed by The Sonic Avenues, who keep getting better despite starting off as one of Canada's most killer live acts.

Sonic Avenues at Babylon
Sonic Avenues, Babylon, August 13, 2010

Mother's Children got to follow those acts and go on before The Paul Collins Beat, which must have been relaxing. They made it three-for-three for ace performances. Dave Forcier of Pregnancy Squares and photography fame was filling in for Tim Ostler on drums since Tim couldn't tour. All the bands kept things short and sweet, as it should be with power pop.

Mother's Children at Babylon
Mother's Children, Babylon, August 13, 2010

Finally  Paul Collins and company really shredded ... and I'm not just referring to his larynx (apparently prior exposure to some air-conditioning is to blame). They started things off with Hanging On The Telephone which got things pumping from the get-go. There was plenty of crowd-surfing and jumping on stage to sing along from the usual suspects, and it's fair to say everyone had a great time.

The Paul Collins Beat at Babylon
Paul Collins Beat, Babylon, August 13, 2010

An awesome show from start to finish.

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