Obey Convention IV Day 3: Cold Warps, Holy Cobras, and Dog Day at the Bus Stop Theatre, 29/05/10

I got very few usable photos. Did I mention that I really hate taking photos against a red backdrop? And the show was really packed? But the Bus Stop is still a sweet venue. I was pretty exhausted this day too, so don't remember the finer details of Cold Warps (good name though, myspace sounds good too. You can download their tape for free from their band page). Holy Cobras sounded tops, which I'm pleased about as it was the last time I had to see them, and I didn't get Dog Day at all. Everyone seemed really excited to see them, and seem really proud that they're Haligonians (ha! Hate that word.) but the keys player looked so bored and their songs almost sounded the same but I don't quite know what I was expecting nor had I ever heard them before. Growers maybe? I didn't even get any photos of them as I was a few rows back and packed in like a sardine. Oh well.







http://www.myspace.com/coldwarps
http://www.myspace.com/holycobras
http://www.myspace.com/dogdaytheband

CHUO Fundraiser with The Shakey Aches, Holy Cobras and the band whose name is a symbol at The Dominion Tavern, 17/04/10

It's funding drive! CHUO put on a show! Community radio is totally bad ass and you should make a pledge to your fave program! More exclamation marks! CHUO staff also all listen to really bangin' tunes and thus the selection of fine young (and not so young) bands playing this fundraiser. The Shakey Aches were all incarnations of pop-/proto-/garage-/country-/blues- punk. Yes that is lots of prefixes and no I'm probably not on the money with all of them but why not. I love Holy Cobras and they're always (always!) fun to watch but the mix for them was pretty shit and as such it sounded really muted when I wanted it to be all enveloping. But still, try listen to them and stand still the whole time. Not possible I tells ya. And the band whose name is a symbol ... I don't even know what to say. 9-piece psychedelic-extravaganza, everyone was blissing out. Check out the religious-experience facial expressions. Just go see them when they play. There were lots of old dudes (sorry, am I showing my age?) having a good ol' dance too. Muchos fun.












(so devastated this is unfocused! wasn't quick enough.)








http://www.chuo.fm/en/home
http://www.myspace.com/theshakeyaches
http://www.myspace.com/holycobras
http://birdmansound.blogspot.com (the band whose name is a symbol don't have any sort of website, but their drummer runs Birdman Sound Record store so this'll do. When I googled the band whose etc. Prince's wikipedia page came up as like, the 9th result. Awesome!)

Teen Anger and Holy Cobras at 854 Bronson Ave's Basement, 19/03/10

A good night, it was good to be at a house show, seeing bands in a basement and with a fairly healthy turnout (I guess? Not being from here I can never tell). I guess it was the closest thing to a show I would go to back home in Sydney in warehouses, except in this basement they had a mixer and all. It was complete with dude fisting the air, antagonising band members and feeding everyone whiskey, lovely generous folk passing joints around and some serious feet shufflin' (of the grooving kind, not the awkward-look-around-the-room, stare-at-feet, shuffle). Teen Anger (Toronto) play bluesy-garage stompers that make you want to mess up your hair and howl. This was the third time I have seen Holy Cobras (they seem to be Ottawa's hardest working band and always play on good bills. It helps that they're real good.), it wasn't the best I've seen them - there was a fill-in drummer and what I will assume to be a substance brimmed singer - but it was still damn enjoyable. They always manage to involve the crowd too which I dig. This time it was opinions on global warming and acid rain. Someone said not acid rain, PURPLE RAIN! I was next but I didn't hear what was said last so I moved away, but I wish I said something about Raspberry Beret aka. my favourite Prince song. OH REGRETS! The photos are a little too bright and out of focus but fuck you, I don't care.












(For a minute I wasn't sure if he was going to get up)

http://www.myspace.com/teenangerrr
http://www.myspace.com/holycobras

Holy Cobras and Kurt Vile at Babylon Nightclub 23/02/10

I got no good photos at all this night and I'm only posting the one of Kurt Vile because of his mane.

Grand Trine, The Blind Shake and Holy Cobras, Babylon Nightclub, 16/01/10

This was a pretty tops show which I kinda wasn't expecting from Ottawa. I do like to be proven wrong though.

Holy Cobras were bone-grooving fun, despite sunglasses on stage, The Blind Shake were good but I didn't warm to them as much as the others, and Grand Trine were brutal. The kids went nuts, the singer got all Iggy Pop on everyone and they did a Wipers covers. Top shit. I missed several photo ops towards the end as I received a bit of a battering and soon after my neurosis grew and I feared for my precious camera so I put it away, regretfully.

To the photos, then.



















http://www.myspace.com/holycobras
http://www.myspace.com/theblindshake
http://www.myspace.com/grandtrinemtl

edit: I can't figure out this formatting shit, click on the snaps and you'll get the whole picture rather than the cut-in-half ones on the page.