Comeback Kid / Misery Signals / Bane
live in Montreal (2008)
robalobadob
This is one of the biggest package tours of "underground" music to come through Canada in a long time. Comeback Kid organized this tour and invited some of their favorite bands to cross Canada with them. The tour kicked off in Vancouver on October 8, and will go through 20 cities total, wrapping up in Hamilton, Ontario on October 27. The tour hit Montreal on October 23 at Le National.
Before we get to the music, this tour has had some pretty bad luck following it. The week before the Montreal date, Gravemaker rolled their van several times, and although no one was seriously hurt and they could stay on the tour, the van was totaled. And then, the night before the Montreal show, Comeback Kid woke up to find their van and trailer gone. All of their merch and gear and most of their personal belongings were stolen, as well as half of Gravemaker's merch. So, the show started with that hanging over everyone. But all the bands seemed determined to make it a stellar show just to spite the world.
The first band up was Gravemaker. They are one of my new favorite bands in hardcore. Coming out of Vancouver with members of Figure Four, they definitely play Northwest-influenced hardcore, similar to Blue Monday and Go It Alone, but better. I really enjoyed their show. They were full of energy and looked like they just love performing. It was cool seeing all the support they were getting from the other bands on the tour, from the various members that were watching the show from the wings, and from the singer of Shai Hulud coming out to sing on one song. I only wish that I was more familiar with their music, but I picked up their (nautically themed) CD and intend to scream along next time I see them. I expect big things from this band in the future.
Up second was Outbreak. I've never really gotten into them and this show did nothing to change that. I was kind of bored watching them. I just can't get into a band whose lyrics are all variations of "fuck, fuck, fuck you. No one likes you. No one cares." Maybe if they could focus that anger, they could write songs that sounded better.
I've loved Shai Hulud for years. They are an excellent band who make writing songs about anger work. While Outbreak just kind of spit and spasm, Shai Hulud wield their anger with precision. A misanthropy pure, perhaps? They played songs from their entire discography, though they did have to keep their set short because of the sheer number of bands on the tour. Some of the older songs sounded a little different, but that's probably because they're playing them through the metal sheen of their newer material (like the difference between the original version of "Set Your Body Ablaze" and the one on Misanthropy Pure).
Set list:
Bane are one of my favorite bands. Straight up. They put on a very good show, although it was a little bit strange seeing them play up on a stage that was roughly at my chest. At this particular show, Aaron Bedard seemed almost brooding, most of his stage banter was about the loss of the van and trailer being stolen, and encouraging people to provide support however they could. It seemed like an especially powerful statement when the rest of the band began a seemingly impromptu version of "A Bridge Too Far" as Aaron was speaking. As for the rest of the show, they played all the hits, and it was good.
Set list:
Misery Signals. A friend of mine said it best: "Misery Signals are kind of like herpes. They're everywhere but no one really likes them." That being said, there was a time when I was really into Misery Signals. I still put on Of Malice and the Magnum Heart and enjoy it, but ever since their original singer left, they've been on a steady downward spiral in my books. Mirrors was pretty mediocore and Controller is more of the same. And now, I can barely recognize some of their older songs like "In Summary of What I Am" when they play them live. It's a shame.
Set list (these are only the songs I knew):
- In Summary of What I Am
- The Failsafe
- Anchor
- A Victim, A Target
- Five Years
Comeback Kid were the headliners and they played strong and long. I was impressed at how upbeat they were considering they had to play using other bands' equipment, wearing other bands' merch. They covered songs from their entire discography. They set out on this tour initially to promote their new DVD Through the Noise, and they played essentially the same set list as they do on the DVD, but a little mixed around. My only disappointment was the encore, when Andrew asked what songs people wanted to hear and some people shouted Figure Four. He almost seemed to consider it. Bailey (now in Grave,aker) was standing right there and it seemed like there could have been a partial Figure Four reunion. But it didn't happen. Oh well.
Set list:
Encore: