Giddyup!

Next up was a set split between Malcolm Bauld and Horses, who were serving as Malcolm's backing band. I confess I prefer Bauld's recorded work to his live sets - something about his throaty folk punk seems to work better at the point where it has the feeling of something about to be unleashed. That said, Horses made a most sympathetic backing band for the former Frenetic, and they put on a swell set themselves.

We start things off with shoutalong action featuring Horse Lachie MacDonald on guitar, Glenn Barrington on drums and Malcolm.



Bassist Nathan Richards wins the award for bounciest band member.



More Lachie!



Malcolm emotes.



Glenn is apparently also in World War I - more about them later.



More singalong action.



One of Vancougar's ladies noted that Bauld was appropriately named. Hey, she said it, not me.



Then it was Horses turn to strut their own stuff. Jonothon Hunter is the band's other guitarist.



More shouting!



More feedback!



Guitar action!



Even more shouting!



Malcolm chipped in some piano at the end.



A robust performance as always. Bauld is heading to southern Ontario and the U.S. for a few December dates - who knows, maybe he'll pass through town again. As for Horses, they'll be playing the James St. Pub basement - a.k.a. The Rocker Room - World War I on December 19.

• Show reminder: There's a Benefit for the Blind at The Rainbow, with Mubarak, Lukas and The Lies of Tomorrow.

Animal House

The Felines are a band I've been waiting a while to catch. Unfortunately, every time they've got a show booked something else has pushed them off my calendar. That all changed last night, where I caught the stripey quartet opening for Vancougar, Statues and Malcolm Bauld with Horses.


The Felines, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

You may recognize some familiar faces from the scene, I'm sure guitarist Ilona Spo-dee-o-dee has shown up in a crowd or two, and drummer Allie Hanlon ... er, I mean El Maraschino ... has of course served in Captain Foxy and The White Wires. Bassist Momo and keyboardist Steel Rose round out the combo, which kicked things off with a cover of The Cramps' Human Fly. Lo-fi surf and garage rock is the order of the day: There were also covers of Shake, Rattle and Roll and The Witch - dedicated to a band pal and birthday gal.

Next up was Malcolm Bauld. I've seen the former Frenetics frontman before at Babylon, where he was backed on a few songs by The Details. He's continuing the tradition of folk-punk rock that seems more than a little influenced by Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen and John Cougar Mellencamp. He skipped the solo stuff this time and rocked out with Horses, the band he's touring with now.


Malcolm Bauld, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

Horses did a handful of songs themselves. Like Bauld they're influenced by that New Jersey blue collar rock, and finished things off with a cover of Darkness on The Edge of Town.


Horses, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

I suspect the band that a lot of people were there to see was Sudbury mod-pop punks Statues. The trio features the two Houle brothers, Mitch and Jeff, who have also rolled through town as part of Varge and The Havocs. Rob Seaton is the third man, on guitar and vocals. There was a Buzzcocks cover, a Jam sound and every brisk and frisky pop punk band to the right of Joe Jackson.


Statues, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

Finally Vancouver's Vancougar finished things off. The quartet of guitarist and singer Eden Fineday, bassist Becca Stewart, keyboardist Megan Johnson and C.C. Rose (last seen on NCR playing drums and keys with Black Mountain at Barrymore's) turn out tuneful pop with a tough chaser in the vein of early Go-Gos and Bangles. Hmm, maybe I'll throw The Pretenders and The Pandoras in their as well.


Vancougar, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

Here's some extra Vancougar rock action!


Vancougar, Bytown Tavern, October 21, 2008

There now headed down to the States for the U.S. leg of their North American tour. The Statues and Malcolm Bauld are headed to Quebec and parts east.

• Show reminder: A Dream of Descent thrash things out at Zaphod's. Nudie and The Turks play Irene's.

After the frenzy

Many years ago, before my photograph-taking days, I saw The Frenetics perform at The Dominion. If memory serves it was also the first time I saw The Phantom Shifters - must have been fairly early in their career. All I really remember is the Frenetics had a powerful woman drummer who looked like a bit of a rockabilly. Malcolm Bauld now performs in the folk-punk vein, and with his strong voice and energetic style does a fine job of it. (Meanwhile, that drummer, Anne Gauthier, can be seen performing in Hot Springs and Kickers).

That Malcolm!





And taking a turn on the keys.



He finished things off with an assist from The Details' rhythm section: Bassist Keli Martin and drummer Shaun Gibson.





His tour is basically over; he officially launched his new album Covered In Dust in Montreal last Friday.

• Show reminder: Skafest kicks off with One Night Band, Whitey, Tea For The Voyage, Clock Strikes Music and Bad News Bears at The Bayou; Charlottetown fancy shirt fans Nudie and The Turks bring some old school country to the Elmdale Tavern. Sarah Hallman, Michael Holt and Tanya Philipovich play Irene's.
  

Heart to heart

I didn't think The Details, former Frenetic turned folk-rocker Malcolm Bauld or Allumettes offshoot Hollowtip Hearts would rake in a big audience at Babylon, particularly on a cool Tuesday evening, and I was proved sadly correct. Pity, for the assembled bands all turned in sharp performances of various flavours. First local quartet Hollowtip Hearts - fresh off a gig at The Dominion the previous Saturday with Four'n'Giv'r - wowed the crowd with songs about lasers and moustaches, coordinated tambourining. The main singer in this combo is Christina, formerly of Les Allumettes, but everyone chips in ....


The Hollowtip Hearts - Stina B, Krystal Diamond - Babylon April 29, 2008

They were followed by Malcolm Bauld, who was in excellent form. He's been on the road for a month so he's well-practiced but hasn't yet gotten to the point where he feels his vocal cords have been sandpapered.


Malcolm Bauld, Babylon, April 29, 2008

He was joined on stage for his closing two songs by the rhythm section of The Details, who sound a bit like Sloan, Adorable, and Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, but a bit shinier and not as good - no slam on them, since no one's as good as Ted. They've got a taste for the anthemic in some of their tunes (most notably, err, National Anthem) and I could imagine them becoming much bigger.



It all hit the spot.

• Show reminder: Will Currie and The Country French and Greggy B and The Flats play Zaphod's.