It was already my third show at the brand new Bar Le Ritz PDB, the new name and identity of the Il Motore and the venue was completely full like it was last week for the trendy post black metal of Deafheaven. This time, the crowd wasn’t as hip, I was in my element with the psych rock and doom metal on the menu but let’s not forget the excellent beer the bar is now selling (Trou du Diable is the shit, I’ve picked La Morsure and its 6,5% attack.) I like the new disposition of the stage (now located at the back of the venue) and the colorful walls reminding me of Lego blocks are giving the venue a joyful feel not thoroughly disconnected from the offerings of the two bands of this abnormally warm late September week end. If you wanna see some pictures of the show, click to see François Carl Duguay’s  albums for Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and for Danava.

9:00 to 10:00

Danava (Portland, Oregon, maybe they’re friends with Witch Mountain, a band I’ve catched at this same venue 2 weeks ago) opened the gig with their super heavy blend of psychedelic hard rock. The two guitars attack led by mainman Dusty Sparkles (is that his real name? I hope so) was contagious and got a good reception from the crowd (who, in my opinion, was widely unfamiliar with the Americans except a few connoisseurs) Their Thin Lizzy inspired sound sounded fresh even though they’re (fortunately) far from being a modern band. Borderline metal, Danava fits (even though they were formed earlier) with the recent vintage rock revival led by the likes of Graveyard or Kadavar, they rock hard and loud. Great band.

Highlight: “Longdance” from their self titled debut album.

10:20 to 11:40

The Brits of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats were next and man, I really like gigs with only two bands (we all know that three is the optimal maximum.) There’s a tendency to just add too many groups to a lineup and sometimes it’s unbearable because they don’t all fit with each others. It’s not the case here, both bands possess deep psychedelic roots and even though Uncle Acid mix that stuff with a huge dose of doom metal, they can crossover many musical dimensions. Blending the classicism of Cathedral inclined doom with a fondness for 1960s psychedelic rock, their sound is as interesting as their B series movie inspired persona and merch. Bikes, hot girls in leather and short jeans, haunted house, the whole shtick indeed. Too bad I need to pay for my university semester since their merch was pretty impressive!

Their almost 80 minutes set encompassed their 3 albums with the clear highlights being the cuts from “Blood Lust” (“Death’s Door”, “I’ll Cut You Down” or “13 Candles” but also the excellent opener of 2013’s “Mind Control”, “Mt. Abraxas” which also served as the opener for their set followed by “Mind Crawler”. I cheated a bit before their gig by checking their setlists online but nothing could have prepared me for the surprising cover of Neil Young and Crazy Horse‘s “Down by the River”! A dude in the crowd was wearing a Neil Young shirt, it was probably a sign sent by the rock gods, who knows?

The stage was strangely decorated by three TVs all playing the same show (white noise), well this was different and cool! The band was energetic and played a perfect mix of catchy numbers and slower doomy songs. Their sound was uber loud and the high pitched Beatleseque vocals of band leader Uncle Acid were rightfully placed in the mix and the harmonies of the other guitarist and bassist were complimenting them wonderfully. Nothing was sloppy, their playing was super tight and their slick, classy hippie appearance made me regret cutting my long mane of hair last year!

Perhaps the best show I’ve seen in 2014 and I’ve seen like 50 bands this summer! I’m pretty sure the band liked their first time in Canada since it was a sold out gig with a very enthusiastic crowd, you could say that their first foray into North America after their gig at the Maryland Death Fest was eagerly awaited and they delivered the goods.

PS: Hopefully they’ll play a bigger venue next time, the show was sold out in less than a week and despite the overactive air conditioning, it was hellishly hot in there! Thanks to Evenko/Greenland and Ondes Chocs for the review opportunity.

Anyway, time to spin “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” on vinyl, see y’all later!

Antoine