Peach, fuzz

Last time I spoke of Peach Kelli Pop (back in December 2009), I mentioned how Allie Hanlon was off to the West Coast so you can forget about any more White Wires or Pop shows around these parts, bub. Well the travel plans were either derailed or delayed, because here she is still in town, keeping busy and last seen playing drums for Nobunny at Nine. And here she is again, performing with Peach Kelli Pop at Ritual on Day 2 of the Gaga Weekend.

Allie preps the microphone, Davey shows off his muscles, Matt Oxley wears his hat at a rakish tilt. Last time around Ian Manhire drummed. He must have been busy doing other stuff this time around.



Over on the left, Allie's twin Emily.



Allie strums her girlie guitar.



Davey plays his secon show of the night.



Oxley is kind of blue. I didn't recognize him without a baseball cap on.



Allie sings!



Around this time I realized the lights in Ritual were so damn bright I didn't need any flash.



Winking action!



Allie gets an LED halo.



Matt was banging his head pretty darn fast.



Fisheye action!



Popping action!



Emily shakes it!



Big finish!



Her next show in town is just a few days away, at Babylon Capital Rehearsal Studios on Bank St., July 12 with Chicago's super-duper Hollows (they're playing the night before in Montreal at Friendship Cove).

• Show reminder: Welsh Cinema, Ragged Dick and Ultra Mega play the Elmdale House; The Dusty Drifters play a second night at Irene's; Thunder Bay metallurgists Jagstog and Gruv play the Rainbow.

Brain slime

Off to Ritual for Day 2 of the Gaga Weekend. Though Ritual does host the monthly Bored To Death DJ night of punk rock etc., it's not a venue generally associated with scabrous guitar rock. Just check out these fab upcoming (now likely come-and-gone) events:



Now take a look at the first act of the night, notorious mom-annoyers The Girlfriends.



Well I suppose that photo has a bit too much smoke in it. Here we have Nigel and Wolfgang. Nigel decided his grass skirt looked better as a wig.



Wolfgang sings!



Nigel reads a not from his mother. It began "Nigel, why is this room not cleaned?" I presume she meant Nigel's room and not Ritual, but perhaps she is possessed of uncanny powers of prediction.



And now some video action, including audience participation!



Brotherly action!



The whole fisheyed lot.



Sammy falls over'n'stuff.



Smoke time!



Now is the time to drink beer from a shoe.



Delicious I'm sure.



I'm not going to say anything.



Confetti bomb!



Wolfgang goes wild!



Crowdsurfing action!



Oops, they dropped him.



That mask has seen better days.



Upside-down action!



Wolfgang is in his underwear, so this must be the end!



Their next show is at the Rat's Nest (a.k.a. 279 Flora) July 23 with Wooka Tribe and some other folks.

• Show reminder: Banus, Harvey Cartel, Hot Corn Cold Corn and Courtney Thorman play an early artists' showcase at Babylon; I'm going to regret missing Dex Romweber Duo, and Riishi's Von Rex Trio at Zaphod Beeblebrox for some time; Ross Neilsen and The Suffrin's Bastards are at The Rainbow; The Jesse Greene Band and The Dusty Drifters drift into Irene's; God Knows What swing into The Elmdale House.

End at the bottom

I wasn't sure that The Suppositories would be able to get the crowd as revved up as Holy Cobras ... brother was I wrong. In fact the audience turned into such a seething mass that I felt the floor begin to wobble (heaven only knows what the folks downstairs thought).

Ian shouts!



Mark frets .. unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures before I made my escape ....



Closeup action!



The crowd was getting so active I scuttled over to the side (which incidentally let me take better pictures of the rest of the band).



Smiley Ilona action!



Billy rocks the traps!



Assorted rocking action!



The crowd goes wild!



Shadowy Ilona action!


Ian Manhire does his balancing act ... shortly after running off the end of the notorious Nine railing and, as he later told me, messing one of his legs.





I wanted to get a good fisheye Billy shot. Nope.



More shouty Ian!



Hell with it, I'll get the reg'lar kind.



Big finish!



They've just played the Raw Sugar, no word on future shows just yet.

• Show reminder: Speaking of Raw Sugar, Richard Laviolette, Dave Tough and Jessy Bell Smith play there tonight; The Start are at the Elmdale Tavern; 10-piece R&B combo Mixed Nuts roll into The Rainbow; The Dead Letters are at the Avant-Garde (as are Django Libre, doing their regular gypsy jazz spot); Manny Makris and bluesman JW-Jones bring their Rock'N'Roll Riot to Irene's.

Strike force

Here's The Holy Cobras, working up a mighty psychedelic sound. They've always been one of my favourite local bands, and this set provided just one more reason why.

I started things off with a bit of no-flash photography ... wasn't really bright enough.



Video action!



It was all an uplifting experience.



Sunglassed action!



Rodd works the fuzz.



Ryan showed up later as 50% of Knifemare.



The whole shady lot!



Psychedelic action!



More Rodd and Kristal!



Audience singalong action!



"I don't like you Ottawa, so don't come up to me after the show and tell me how much you liked it!"



Kristal hits!



Daniel and shoes!



Rodd bends!



Let's not forget, this is the Rock'N'Roll Pizza Party!



The end!



Telephone explosion has just released their first 7-inch, Feed Yr Head backed with May You Be Free To Roam.

• Show reminder: Owen Pallett, Elliott Brood, Jull Zmud, Shad and some other folks will be at Confederation Park. Clothes Make The Man and The Balconies are at Mavericks.