Industrial legends Front Line assembly headline the week in Calgary music
It’s only been a few months since Greg MacPherson played a packed house at Local 522 during Sled Island but if you ask us it’s a few months too long. Don’t be fooled by the Winnipeg troubador’s former association with Propagandhi’s punker-than-thou label the G-7 Welcoming Committee: He’s one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the prairies in recent memory combining storytellers’ folk with moments of crackling angular post-punk. That and few singers today possess his sheer vocal power and his attacking stage presence; he’ll have no problem making the Palomino walls sweat when he plays there on Friday September 10. Head over to ffwdweekly.com to read an interview.
Broken City is usually good for a solid show each week and this time around it ain’t any different with Eve Hell and the Razors taking the stage. For the uninitiated the group pairs a love of all things ’50s with surf and modern punk rock sensibilities with Eve’s standup bass mastery and yelpy bluster taking centre stage. Don’t miss the openers either with local rockabilly trio Hurricane Felix and the Southern Twisters and the Smokin’ 45s getting the night started. Brian Setzer pompadours mandatory.
Skinny Puppy fanatics try not to shit yourselves. Glitchy industrial legends Front Line Assembly arrive in town on Saturday September 11. Indeed Bill Leeb despite having formed the group more than a quarter-century ago is still at the top of his game: Front Line Assembly’s latest album while maintaining the group’s signature darkness is its most elastic danceable album yet. Edmonton industrial duo iVardensphere and Psykkle open but the show’s biggest surprise might be locals Post-Death Soundtrack who layer haunted vocals and sparse keys atop a rich electronic foundation. That and its Dead Can Dance cover might be worth the price of admission alone.
If it’s been a few years since you visited Comeback Kid it’s time to reconsider. This ain’t just an anthemic youth crew with E-chord breakdowns at least not anymore. Rather the Winnipeg hardcore act has shifted its sonic direction towards The Hope Conspiracy’s venomous rage and Modern Life is War’s bleak Midwestern displacement. What’s more Fast Forward Weekly ’s Keith Carman adores its newest record Symptoms + Cures (see page 20). They demonstrate their style with NYHC vet tough-guys Madball at the Republik on Sunday September 12. Mosh!
