Who doesn’t love a good supergroup?
Cream, Them Crooked Vultures, Anyways Gang, Crosby, Stills and Nash and as of Tuesday Night, Blue. Fronted by Hamilton rock n’ roller Ross Miller of The Dirty Nil, the band began as an idea shared between himself and guitarist Vince Soliveri (Stay Down) and came into being with the early addition of drummer Nigel Stewart (Captain Wildchild) and bassist Nimal Agalawatte (Basement Revolver). The Doors Pub set the stage for the bands debut, and anyone who has ever stepped foot in that building will know it’s not a venue known for its acoustics, or maybe it is, but not in the typical fashion. With a high ceiling, smooth thick walls, and hardwood flooring, the small room upstairs can easily be filled with sound, but just for good measure the band made sure their instruments were nice and loud, perhaps to treat the rest of Hess Village to some free music. With a sound that I would have to describe as Garage Punk, the boys in Blue played mostly fast paced, and short tunes, filled to the brim with riffs, screams and punk beats to an active crowd covered in denim, tattoos and lots and lots of sweat.
As a drummer I’m first drawn to the rhythm section which is the strongest part of the group comprised of a couple Mohawk Music graduates (Stewart and Agalawatte) who bravely took a break from playing 2 and 4 to slam (and there is no other word to used here) their instruments. Miller seemed right at home as a frontman, which was exciting to see having only ever seen him play bass with his usual outfit in the Nil and was chalk full of witty rhymes and banter between tunes. In addition to everything that rhymes with blue Ross delivered a surprising yet welcomed amount of positivity and motivation for the crowd which looking back is evident in the lyrics and promotion of the band and seems be a prominent theme behind the vibe and general purpose of the project. Playing a short and sweet 15 minute set, the packed room at Doors were left wanting more from Blue, and I’m sure that they’ll be satiated in due time with the band already booking shows across the GTA and doing some DIY recordings. Until Blue makes it back to Hamilton you can catch them In St. Catherines at The Niagara Arts Centre this Thursday the 5th, and London at Ask a Punk on September 14th. To hear some tunes check out their Bandcamp http://itcantallbeblue.bandcamp.com
Written by Levi Kertesz @levikertesz
Photography by Stephanie Montani @stephmontaniphotography
