Sunday, June 17, 2012

Ottawa Explosion, Day 3, Part II

My original plan had been to skip Rome Romeo and head over to Mavericks and Cafe DeKcuf early so I could see Philadelphia's Adults. Unfortunately the band didn't make it over the border, due to that pesky "criminal record" business. Fortunately Las Cruces' Low Culture were on hand to fill in!

Those crazy New Mexicans - I only managed to catch their last song.

Low Culture at Cafe DeKcuf
Low Culture at Cafe DeKcuf, June 15, 2012

One thing you're guaranteed of at Ottawa Explosion is seeing Davey Quesnelle on stage - possibly several times a night. On this occasion he was performing with his own Male Nurse Band. It was a particularly frenetic gig.

Male Nurse Band at Mavericks
Male Nurse Band at Mavericks, June 15, 2012

Upstairs, Camp Radio cranked out a really hot set as well.

Camp Radio at Cafe DeKcuf
Camp Radio at Cafe DeKcuf, June 15, 2012

Folks may remember some acrimonious on-stage bickering from Statues at the last Ottawa Explosion. Apparently they were just play-acting. This time around they decided to split up for real, and this was the last show by the popular Sudbury combo. Mind you, they still get along well enough to perform as Strange Atrractor next night.

Statues at Mavericks
Statues at Mavericks, June 15, 2012

Crow Bait were next at Cafe DeKcuf; they're do-it-yourself punk rockers with the bassist from Iron Chic.

Crow Bait at Cafe DeKcuf
Crow Bait at Cafe DeKcuf, June 15, 2012

The Steve Adamyk Band is a bit like The Male Nurse Band, in that both combos feature Steve and Davey Quesnelle, as well as David Forcier on drums. Sebastien from Sonic Avenues fills in on bass, which only seems fair since Steve did the same for the Avenues at the last Explosion. They also had Dave Williams up for some guest vocalizing.

Steve Adamyk Band at Mavericks
Steve Adamyk Band at Mavericks, June 15, 2012

I thought The Nervosas were one of the highlights of the Explosion, and I get the impression a lot of people agreed - it was a highly charged set of jittery punk rock from the Columbus crew.

Nervosas at Cafe DeKcufNervosas at Cafe DeKcuf, June 15, 2012

New York's Night Birds ended the night with some tough-sounding surf-punk - it was a bit like the conjunction of The Misfits, The Gears and Black Flag.

Night Birds at Mavericks
Night Birds at Mavericks, June 15, 2012

Great sets from everyone, but boy were my feet killing me by the end of the night.

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