On November 10, 2018 I made my way down to The Echo for my second Dirty Nil show of the year. I had seen them over the summer a few months before their new album Master Volume was released and after that incredible show there was no way I was going to miss them now that the record is out.

I have been to a handful of shows at The Echo and lately they have had shows begin pretty early. Opening the show was the Vancouver, BC band Dead Soft who got on stage at 6:30PM. This was my first time hearing and seeing the quartet and just from the half-hour or so set it was pretty obvious that they have plenty of potential. Dead Soft’s had sort of a poppy-grunge to sound. Their songs ranged from pretty mellow, almost indie-rock sounding to hard-hitting ballads with some impressive screaming. The band performed tracks like “Problems,” “Kill Me,” “Bones,” and “Down,” most of which are off their newly released EP New Emotion.

At 7:30PM the Nil took the stage. They blasted right into the first three songs off Master Volume — “That's What Heaven Feels Like,” “Bathed In Light,” and “Pain Of Infinity.” The energy in the room was totally electric. Guitarist Luke Bentham was in his blue with white stars and studs shirt, blowing bubbles with his gum when he wasn’t singing each song perfectly. He would bend backwards to the floor, aim the mic at the audience for them to sing into, and hold his guitar up while he did these extremely high kicks. When Ross Miller wasn’t backing up Luke on vocals, he was bouncing and jumping around, looking incredibly focused on each tune while clearly having a great time. The Dirty Nil didn’t just play songs off their new album though. They played some older tracks like “Cinnamon,” the powerful and riff-heavy “No Weaknesses,” and “Fuckin’ Up Young.” Some other highlights of the hour-long set were “Auf Wiedersehen,” “I Don’t Want The Phone Call,” and “Wrestle Yü To Husker Dü” as well. The Dirty Nil ended the show on an interesting note. Just like the way they end Master Volume, they ended this show with “Evil Side,” one of their longer songs. The track starts off with the slow, almost lullaby-like melody and plucked riff. It eventually builds up into a huge octave-filled outro, making it a very impressive finale for a live performance.

The Dirty Nil are clearly on a hot-streak when it comes to their studio material. After seeing them a total of four times over the passed couple of years, I can absolutely vouch that they are amazing live — this time especially. The new tunes sound great and the band members really make sure that everyone is having a good time. If they are coming to your city on this tour with Dead Soft, it is totally worth going.

The Dirty Nil’s Set List:

That's What Heaven Feels Like

Bathed In Light

Pain Of Infinity

Cinnamon

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No Weaknesses

Zombie Eyed

Always High

Fuckin’ Up Young

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Auf Wiedersehen

Smoking Is Magic

Friends In The Sky

I Don’t Want The Phone Call

Know Your Rodent

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Please, Please Me

Super 8

Wrestle Yü To Husker Dü

Evil Side

You can see some pictures of the show on the Punknews Instagram.