May 12, 2023 – Xeroz, Moncton, New Brunswick
You see, life doesn’t always go as planned and sometimes, you just got to roll with it. That’s what happened to me on this fateful evening. I was geared up and ready to cover Mear at the Tide and Boar. I had my black jacket, black shirt, and black jeans on. I had my old school notepad, my old camera and was ready to go. But fate had other plans.
So, what does this journalist do when his planned event gets cancelled? No, I don’t just mope, that’s for sure. I make moves and find another story to cover. That’s exactly what I did. I hit up my girl Crissy, she always knows what’s hot on the scene, and she told me Xeroz was hosting Small Package (Moncton), Cell Death (PEI), and Crisis Party (Ottawa). Well, that sounded like a solid plan to me.
See Also: Khemmis at Le Ritz, Montreal
Small Package kicked things off with their solid sound a played a short but oh-so-sweet set. It’s the first time I caught this local band live, and I really hope to see more of them. At this point I was parched, so Crissy bought me a drink. Not just any drink, mind you, but vodka water. That’s right, water. Not tonic water but flavored water! I had never heard of such a thing before. It made me think of something you’d wash your windows with that leaves behind a Berry sweet scent. But hey, who am I to argue with someone who knows how to have a good time?
As I sipped and chattered, I was suddenly hit with the sound of pure punk hardcore bliss. The riffs were brutal and the vocals were shrill and raging, courtesy of Cell Death. It was like the perfect storm of vintage hardcore riffage and hardcore vocals had collided in the best way possible way, cranking it up to a solid ten. I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. It’s just amazing seeing such incredible talent come out of the small island of Prince Edward Island. These guys were reppin’ hard.
The stage was already on fire when Crisis Party took over, and they didn’t let the momentum die down. They delivered pure, unadulterated punk tunes one after the other, each one packing a punch. Their live performance only elevated their already piercing sound. You can still hear the raw influences of East Coast punk rock resonating strongly through their music, as this Ottawa-based band has roots in the East Coast as well, with Matty Grace being from here. Crisis Party truly closed the night out on a high note.
Read More:
>> The Black Dahlia Murder at Mtelus, Montreal
>> Enslaved at Corona Theatre, Montreal
>> Static-X at MTelus, Montreal
You know, life can be a real sucker punch sometimes, but tonight it threw me a curveball that I hit right out of the park. The first show was a no-go, but I wasn’t going to let that rain on my parade. Friends, Vodka-Flavored Water, and some badass punk hardcore? Hell yeah. It’s like I always say, the best stories come from unexpected twists and turns. This evening was no exception.
