In the house

It's been a while since I was at a house show, but Saturday was definitely a good day for it, with people slipping into their summer stuff for a rare nice day. The house at 137 McLeod is well suited to it as well, with the living and dining room stripped more or less bare and featuring a fresh coat of paint. As for the bands, it was a bunch of (mostly local) band veterans and some of the guys we last saw playing with Tang Soleil at Babylon.

First up was Chris Bush; Ilona of the Dagger Eyes said he sounded a bit like Billy Bragg. Hmm. Chris is also in Get A Life Losers and Greed Brothers, but this time he was flying solo.


Chris Bush at 137 McLeod St. May 21, 2011

Next up was Roberta Bondar, featuring some of the show's hosts, as well as veterans of local acts such as Fire Heats Water and As The Poets Affirm. They've got a couple of good vocalists in Alex Maltby and Lidija Rozitis, and a heavy, driving rhythmic sound. I could imagine them landing a record on the Sacred Bones label.


Roberta Bondar at 137 McLeod St. May 21, 2011

Montreal's Brabazons played a very garage-rock style set, though Dollard stomp boxes updated the guitar sound to somewhere in the mid-80s ... sometimes it sounded a bit like Chrome covering The Vagrants.


The Brabazons at 137 McLeod St. May 21, 2011

Dagger Eyes finished things off; as you'd expect from a band featuring half of The Suppositories, including vocalist and bassist Ian, they sounded quite a bit like Ottawa's favourite brutalist minimalists.


The Dagger Eyes at 137 McLeod St. May 21, 2011

Swell all the way through, barring the armada of mosquitoes outside.

• Show reminder: Will there be mass protests outside Living With Lions show at Mavericks with Such Gold, Dead Weights and Carry Yourself?!? Eh, probably not. As for myself, I'll be upstairs at Cafe DeKcuf rocking out to Coliseum, Quest For Fire and Asile. Stairwell K, The Pejoratives and Halibisky's Uprising perform at The Rainbow; the Elmdale hosts Sons of York, Mise En Scene and Preetam Sengupta.