by JOHNSON CUMMINS

If you read last week’s Punkusraucous Rex, you were hip to the Montreal Metal Massacre last week (featuring DBC, Anvil, Exciter, Piledriver, Razor and more). Of course, never missing a chance to kick my metal old school, I made it down to the Spectrum and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t like travelling back in time. Long hair battling male pattern baldness to the bitter end and sleeveless jean jackets adorned with Bathory, Death, Sodom and Venom patches mixed in with crusty punk attire, and I’m not quite sure but I think I may have seen a whole whopping five girls in the half-packed hall. I was in fucking heaven! I won’t go too much into the bands that played but I will say this—Anvil were easily the biggest surprise of the night. With feet firmly placed on monitors and not a shred of irony, singer Lips and co. absolutely ripped it up during their all-too-short 30-minute set. A really awesome night that provided a nice change from the hipster backpack set that frequent most of the shows I go to.

This is of course the big week for office parties, so it’s not a stacked week for shows, but there are some dandies to help see you through to celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus. A Benefit for Dans la Rue is happening tonight at Missy Bar with Rosebuddy, Puggy Hammer and Kenny Smilovitch, so show up and dig deep. Pops’ kids need your help as it’s starting to get cold out there.

Friday is the Dare to Care Xmas party at le Divan Orange, which sadly is also the Fallout Project’s last show. If you dig the panoramic beatdown of Neurosis, you cannot miss this last chance to witness one of Quebec’s finest. Also playing is la Descente du Coude, Gatineau and Pawa Up First.

I should end with a mighty thanks to all of you people who actually read this thing. This little column, originally only slotted for three issues, has actually overextended its welcome and made it through its first year. Thank you for putting up with a year’s worth of tirades about Jessica Simpson and Dave Navarro, and if you’ve let me take the piss out of you in print over the past year, then I owe you a beer. I would also like to thank the trainspotting readership that muck up my inbox with corrections and suggestions on how to improve my sentence structure (actually, that would be putting it nicely) every week. Too many people to thank, but if I could just pick one, I would have to extend my heartfelt thanks to the young chap who set me straight on AIDS Wolf’s music being “noise” and not “speed reggae,” as I thought. I do all of this for you, little buddy.

GIVING YOU THE GRUMPY VIEW SINCE 2004… jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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