Caught by the fuzz

I was very tempted to stay home last night in my snug apartment, instead of venturing out into the cold-blighted wasteland that is downtown Ottawa, but it's been an unfeasible amount of time since I saw some live music, and I wanted to catch the Dirty Nil, Decathlete and Celery Troff at Cafe DeKcuf. Decathlete, since Peter from Those Gulls (who drums in the duo) invited me, Celery Troff since they always put on a good show, and Hamilton rockers The Dirty Nil since I had shadowy memories of hearing good things about them. As I recently discovered (while typing in the blog's tags, that is), I actually have seen The Dirty Nill before - at the Rainbow, almost four years ago, when bassist Dave Nardi couldn't make it because he was still in high school.

First, Decathlete, who bring the monster fuzz bass and drums racket like Godheadsilo And others of that ilk. Here's Andrew Grosvenor rocking the bass, and a bust of Zeus, looking alarmed.


Decathlete at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

Peter hits! Some bargain-shopping turned up the black sleeveless T-shirts, with masking tape providing the design.


Decathlete at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

Celery Troff decided to dress up for this set. Or perhaps a plaid flannel onesie seemed like a good idea ... it was a bit chilly in the old Cafe ...


Celery Troff at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

Andrew hits!


Celery Troff at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

I was reasonably entertained by The Dirty Nil last time I saw them; they certainly liked that 1990s college alterna-rock (Nirvana, Weezer, Pixies) back when it was an alternative, instead of mainstream. I can definitely hear the Weezer in singer Luke Bentham's vocal stylings. They seemed to have developed an affection for Fugazi as well. Apart from having the full lineup on stage, they've also sharpened things up quite a bit in the last four years, and played a really killer set. Their original material also really rips. Here's Luke, and drummer Kyle.


The Dirty Nil at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

And present-and-accounted for bassist Dave.


The Dirty Nil at Cafe DeKcuf, February 7, 2013

Definitely a band I can see going places; I would have picked up all three of their 7-inches, but the lady in front of me snagged the last copy of their latest split with Northern Primitive.