Gimme some kicks

Man, was I feeling gruesome last weekend. After a perfectly fine dinner at my aunt's I cycled home - for most of the trip I felt like someone was trying to stab me with an icepick through my left tearduct. On the good side, I was feeling much better after grabbing some shuteye. On the downside, I missed Sound Team, who were opening for French Kicks at Babylon. I found the Kicks a bit Morissey-ish. I gather the band was spikier in its youth. Maybe they've been listening to Beach Boys records since then. They've certainly had a few lineup changes ... I think vocalist Nick Stumpf is the only Day 1 member.

Nick shows off his moves.



Drummer Aaron Thurston gets sweaty.



Guitarist Josh Wise.



Lawrence Stumpf, Nick's little brother. By about a foot.



"This is our friend Kush." El-Amin, that is - along to help fill out the band's sound with some judicious guitar and piano.



Dual vocal action!



Well-lit action!



Multi-tasking action!





French action!



That was very pleasant, if not hugely memorable.

• Show reminder: Angela Desveaux, formally of the Sonny Best Band, performs at Zaphod's with Sarah Hallman and Stephen St. Pierre; Danko Jones, Rocketface, Iconoclast @ Barrymore's; The Nukes, The Sewer Rats, Hands of the Few, Four-Stroke, The Rookers, Nummies, The Intruders and Bombed Out! perform at Mavericks Bar; Eugene and the Eugenics, Galactinaut, The Bella Bombs, Jason Ramone, Bad Road and Revv Engine perform at Babylon as part of the Rock and Learn sex education night.