by JOHNSON CUMMINS

This Halloween night, I went and checked out Canadian punk legends SNFU's show at the Main Hall. Once there, I realized I had committed the ultimate Halloween faux pas by donning the same costume as everybody else there - an ageing punker. Someone must have left the door of the punk-rock retirement home open - after years of laying low, original SNFU members Mark Belke (guitar) and Mr. Chi Pig (vocals) returned to the stage. Despite the sparse crowd, they persevered with the same amount of energy they had 20 years ago. Chi Pig made up for lost time with a whole new batch of disturbing props, between-song banter and bad jokes. Thankfully, they were hip to why everybody was really there and played a set that leaned toward the old chestnuts like "Reality Is a Ride on the Bus," "Time to Buy a Futon" and "Cannibal Café," with a little nod to their new record.

I then moved down the street to Casa del Popolo to catch the end of a set by local garage-dwellers Moustache. Despite displaying the occasional growing pains, such as tuning difficulties, Moustache can proudly include themselves - alongside the Sunday Sinners, Holy Moly and Demon's Claw - among Montreal's finer purveyors of three-chord know-how. Keep your eye out for 'em.

Okay, you little scenesters, there's tons of stuff happening in rock this week, so buckle up. You thought punk was finally dead - turns out it was only taking a nap. Manic Manon & the Guest List unleash the real punk-rock goods with Jupiter Nyne tonight (Thursday) at Café Chaos. But if you happen to favour a nice cup of tea over moshing in the pit with sweaty dudes on mescaline, you can also opt for the beginning of a two-night stint with Toronto's Do Make Say Think at la Sala Rossa. Do Make Say Think like their eggs freaky side up and lean on the experimental, improv side of the fence, so if you can put up with shoulder-to-shoulder godspeed! fans, both nights are highly recommended. Tonight will feature Elizabeth Anka Vajagic opening, tomorrow (Friday) les Angles Morts are the sweat act.

The real big ticket this week, for rockers and the myopic knapsack set alike, is across the street at Sala Rossa on Tuesday - the Hot Snakes and local legends CPC Gangbangs. The Hot Snakes will be making their Montreal debut and feature John Reis of Rocket From the Crypt and Rick Froeberg of Drive Like Jehu. The Gangbangs always offer lots of bang for your entertainment buck, with on-stage antics that include breaking limbs and lighting their singer on fire, so this is not to be missed.

FUCK 'EM IF THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE - AND FUCK 'EM IF THEY CAN. jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

Editor's note: Disko Akimbo is on hiatus while Raf Katigbak is in the Philippines, and will return in mid-December.

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