September 15, 2023 – Music 4 Cancer, Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec
Living in Quebec, it’s easy to lose sight over how lucky we truly are. Well, when it comes to live music that is – let’s not get into the politics of the province here. Montreal especially, is a music and art mecca where quality artists are in abundance.
It feels like on any given weekend, there’s something to do and much of that comes by way of music. Festival after festival and a stop off on most artists touring itinerary. There is, however, one festival that shines above most and that is Music 4 Cancer – a charity that is now well known all over the globe, thanks largely to the artists that have played it over the years.
See Also: Music 4 Cancer 2023 in photos
Unlike most charities that collect funds for whatever cause and filter a percentage of its capital through employee salaries and whatever else they can before the remaining money gets sent out, trickle down economics, Music 4 Cancer actually does do as it promises it will. For that reason, it is, in my opinion, the best weekend of the year. Having Rancid play sure helps that too, but we’ll get to that.
In the parking lot outside a rustic church about an hour or so outside of Montreal, come the punks. Lured by punk rock, beer, poutine and of course the music but also with a purpose. Everyone knows someone that has been effected by cancer in one way another. A friend, a family member; themselves. Gathering among like minded people to have a good time, to remember those lost and to do so with great bands on the two stages in front of us just feels right.
Starting off on Thursday with a free show featuring a healthy collection of local artists, drew a crowd of just under four thousand – on a week night outside of the metropolis. That’s outstanding. A further thousand more arrived the following day to kick open the doors to the weekend in style. Black coat, white shoes, black hat, Cadillac.
Opening the day was Jerkswitch, a Montreal based punk band that returns to the festival having played in 2021. Being the first band to play a festival, especially on a week day, is a daunting task as not everyone that holds tickets is able to be in attendance from the get go. Still, Jerkswitch took it in stride and put on a fine set. That was followed by a cover band named One Night Skank which is quite an interesting name that might have been lost in translation; its certainly a play on words. Playing classic punk and ska to rile up the early birds, One Night Skank are good at what they do, although I must say that covers are really not something that excites me. I’d much rather listen to original material.
Big D & The Kids Table
Boston’s brand of DIY ska punk that started off things on the main stage. A band that is self produced and has kept as much of the DIY ethic alive. It was about time to have Big D And The Kid’s Table be part of M4C family. After all, they’re always in this part of the province, they must like it it here or something?
Being so spoiled as fans, we’re so used to the best setlist of hits. For this visit they decided to play some newer and more obscure songs to start. Which brought a slower momentum to the mosh pits and surfing we’re used to. But once it picked up, it picked up! Get it? Ska music is universally fun music that makes you want to dance, so when it comes to the kids, they were loving it. For a lot of the little ones, it was their very first concert.
It’s always fun to see singer Dave McWane bring his unique lyrical styling to each song, he has as much fun onstage as the fans do in the crowd. Their song Noise Complaint is what they end on. Makes sense since us punks can be a bit noisy at times. I wonder if the town of Sainte-Thérèse appreciated the volume as much as Saint-Lambert?
Rhetorical question of course; the people of Saint-Lambert don’t know how to have – only how to strip it away from those that do.
The Suicide Machines
It’s unfortunately rare to find The Suicide Machines on stage this side of the border, but when it does happens it is always a treat. Being a band that survived the nineties skate punk era, that created their own brand of ska-core from Detroit. With singer Jay Navarro bringing a heavy political overtone while balancing a perfect mix of punk, ska and hardcore, in my opinion.
Having seen them multiple times and venues, it was great to see them on a big stage. The sound was probably the best I’ve heard them play, so kudos to the sound company and tech. Of course, a good part of that is also due to the band being and on, and they most certainly were. The Suicide Machines played what I thought was a rather varied set, playing selections of theirs that switched from punk, to hardcore and of course the ska they are perhaps best known for.
Navarro, the groups only original member, was quite active, charging about the stage like a man possessed. High-octane songs met with an equally energetic stage presence. Love it.
There was a hot minute where the band brought up two women clad in gorgeous animal-headed costumes, who danced for a bit before removing their masks to breath huge fire balls into the crisp night air. I’ve always admired fire performers and having them pop up was both a surprise and nice change of pace. There’s something to be said for onstage theatrics and even though I was at the bar when they appeared, I could still feel the heat from the flames they spat. Hot damn!
Rancid
Few, if any bands last more than three decades with only changing one band member. Yet that is the case with Rancid, who have remained practically the same band, with just a solitary change on drums back in 2006, since their birth some thirty-five-odd years ago. And while the bands sound has evolved, their always stayed true to themselves and their original beat. These four men are the pinnacle of punk rock and they have sat upon that throne for quite some time now, with no challenges rising to meet them.
Yeah, it is safe to say that when it was announced that Rancid were to headline this year’s Music 4 Cancer festival, that I was over the moon. At that time, the show felt to far away, but it came so fast as the summer has waned away with autumn but a few days away. Time fly’s. And as such, I was determined to pay as much attention to this set as I could. To snare memoires and encase them in my skull for as long as possible. Rancid don’t come out this way very often anymore, which made this appearance that much more special.
Tim Armstrong emerged carrying his trademark Gretsch guitar that looks as if it has been through several wars and multiple licks of paint, all of which have peeled and fallen off – the same guitar he always carries with him, and I always wonder why he doesn’t have it tarted up with a fresh coat of paint or something. I suppose it has been such an iconic instrument now that seeing Armstong strumming on anything else would just look odd and wrong. Meanwhile, Lars Frederiksen brought out a cherry red ESP – I was hoping to see the white number with the Millwall FC logo on it. I’m a South London boy, you see, and Millwall are my team.
Having just released their new record, Tomorrow Never Comes back in June of this year, I thoroughly expected to hear selections from the album, but that wasn’t the case. When the dust had settled, Rancid had laid down twenty-seven tracks and all of them bangers. The majority came from their second and third albums, Let’s Go and …And Out Came The Wolves, and for an old school (old everything) fan like myself, that was like getting a second helping of cake. Sweet!
When a Rancid set starts with Roots Radicals, there’s just no way you’re not going to have a good time. Having no less than ten tracks …And Out Come The Wolves performed was nothing short of a gift, from the band straight to our hearts.
In the dying moments of the set, a fan found his way up onto the stage somehow, and alluded security as he ran from the back of the stage and dove head first off, but missed his mark and found himself smashing his teeth into a large cement block that was being used to keep the security fence in place. It was brutal. From the moment he leaped, everyone but he knew that there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to clear that gap. Now he’ll have an equally sized gap in his mouth where his teeth used to be.
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Something struck me as kind of funny about this whole thing. I do believe Music 4 Cancer might just be the only festival that has its headliner play on the second day of a three day festival. Most save their big bang for the final moments of the last day, but that wasn’t the case here. It’s not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination, though.
Like the projection that was shown on the wall to the right of the stage said, “Thank you, Rancid”. It was great to have you back here and we hope to see you again very soon.
Check out our photo gallery from the festival here.
