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.
