What she said

If you want to see a wild and crazy show, Duchess Says is always a good bet. I've seen them play a few times in the last decade and frontwoman Annie-Claude always gets up to some entertaining shenanigans - the music is always great too. They were joined by local combos Expanda Fuzz and Dark Plains. Dark Plains started things off with some super-heavy post-punk sounds - here's guitar man Chuck (Last Communion, Mountanaka and others).



Matt sings!



Plain action with Chuck and Andy!



Bass'n'drums action!



Andy hits!



Extra Chuck!



A shouty bit!



Chuck sings!



Dark action!



On to Expanda Fuzz, who continue their dedication to JAMC-style drum machine fuzz rock.



Leila sings!



Singalong action!



Guitar action with Leila!



Bass action with Chris!



Extra Leila!



Drum machine action!



Let's just start by saying that Duchess Says always have a strong banner game (which usually gets destroyed by show's end); this time they had one that lit up! Here's well-illuminated drummer Simon and guitarist Ismael!



Bass action with Phil!



And here's Annie-Claude, with a beer she will shortly pour over her own head!



Annie-Claude adjusts!



And so on!



More guitar!



Simon hits!



Keytar action!



Josh from the bar also contributed some vital budgie-related history.



A really fantastic show.

Duke of ook

Ah, the weird and wonderful Duchess Says. Last time I saw them I thought the willful oddity of keytar-toting singer Annie-Claude might be feigned. Now I'm beginning to suspect it just comes naturally. She started the night off by circling through the audience saying hi to just about everyone there before mounting the stage with a can of Red Bull balanced on her head.

The band! And of course, their banner.



Bassist Phil maintains a stoic presence as Annie-Claude ululates, or something.



Ismael unravels on keyboards.



Phil is one drummer unafraid of heat stroke.



You can bet Annie-Claude is saying something completely incomprehensible right here.



And here, too - and perhaps, everywhere.



Eight.



It's time to rip stuff up, off and down!



There go the lights! And that isn't all.



As you can see - no more banner. Annie tore it down in a fit of tour-ending celebration. "You can use that as a blanket!"



A-C meets the audience.



Despite the shenanigans, the band's electro dance-punk was a lot more focussed this time around. Suicide and The Screamers no doubt lurk in their makeup.

C.R.A.Z.Y.

An early show at Babylon of strange noise. Locals Fucked Corpse found themselves opening for a slightly bonkers female-fronted Montreal band (actually in this case two). Much like the last time I saw them, come to think of it.

Fucked Corpse added some rap to their set and have tightened their sound - their songs actually sound like songs now. They also had a nifty light show which didn't really show up.



Then came Duchess Says for some steamroller synth rock and minor vandalism. You may recall those ceiling lights from The Sick Fits show ... except they aren't stapled to the ceiling anymore. Annie-Claude still acts kind of weird, but she made a bit more sense than last time. And at least I didn't mistake them for The Lovely Feathers.



Lastly, Les Georges Leningrad, who also sounded a lot more focused than when I saw them opening for Sonic Youth. Then, they were 50% perplexing. The weirdo factor is down to a comfortable 25%.



The crowd were well and truly into it. It was the last day of Duchess Says and Les Georges' latest tour, so they went out with a bang. Actually, there was wreckage.

• Show reminder: Secret Star, M.J. Cyr and Look Toward The Sky perform at The Manx.

Bird is the word

Duchess Says were the middle act at Wednesday's Lovely Feathers show. I arrived too late to see Jetplanes of Abraham (too bad, I hear they were excellent) , and Duchess Says' giant parakeet banner led my sleep-and-food deprived brain to conclude they were the headliners (birds = feathers, right?). Thus, their 30-minute set was all I caught of the night's entertainment. Says their religiously inclined website:

"The church proposes a vast range of products and service such as psychic phone lines, a tarot service, a religious shop and principally the rock band Duchess Says."

The avian fixation would explain some of the kooky noises lead singer Annie-Claude Deschenes was making.



Ismael on the keys!



Phil on guitar!



Tremble before the Holy Budgerigar! And drummer Simon! And while you're at it, could you fetch some extra duct tape for the banner?



Annie-Claude rocks the keytar.







Down on the floor! (With her discarded footwear.)



The whole bunch!



More holy rolling action!



They were fun and energetic - didn't make a lick of sense, though.

• Show reminder: my dad vs. yours release their new CD at Babylon with Empiricals and j'envoie; Feu Therese, As The Poets Affirm and City of a Hundred Spires perform at Zaphod's. Next door, first-generation punks The Vibrators play - Montreal's Ventilators and The Rookers are also on the bill. Crash Kelly plays Barrymore's with Manpower and Galore. The Flaps play Irene's with Lucil (of Lederhosen fame?).

A different feather

Well, I just got back from the Lovely Feathers show.
"But Andrew, it's only 10:45, I know the show is all ages, but shouldn't they be playing like, right now?"
Well, yeah. Truth is, I completely forgot (a) that there were three bands on the bill and (b) what the hell Lovely Feathers sounded like. The only other band listed on the show poster was Jetplanes of Abraham - great name! - and I was short of both sleep and food, two things which are a great aid in not accumulating sufficient brain wattage to deduce that the brief set of electroblurt I'd just witnessed was not the headlining act, despite the fact they ended things at 10 p.m. So I went home to get some food. I did start to wonder when I was about a 5-minute walk away, but by the time I certified that I'd bought a $10 ticket to see Duchess Says, not the Feathers, it was a bit late to go running back. Oh well, I'll catch them next time.



Anyway, Duchess Says put on an entertaining, albeit incomprehensible show.