What may well be the top two heaviest gigs of 2018 are happening this week

PLUS A festival declares bankruptcy, a local band launches a record and more

Word had been circulating before the recent 2018 edition of Rockfest that the little fest that grew and grew had finally fallen on hard times. Rumours were stoked that their days were numbered due to a lack of truly big name artists on their marquee this year compared with previous editions (Alice Cooper, Rammstein etc.) as well as a mass of free tickets being given away mere days before the show. Then last week it was announced that the Rockfest organizers had filed for bankruptcy. Truthfully I don’t really have a soft spot for large outdoor fests and actually hope it is a trend that soon comes to an end. If you weren’t at Rockfest and were supporting live music in Montreal’s great music venues last week, my hat goes off to you, and this week happens to host what are guaranteed to be two of the heaviest shows of the year — and only two days apart.

 

Friday: If you remember the dayz of Lower East Side sleaze rock, New York noise and even some slammers by the likes of Dinosaur Jr., you can grab a chance to catch the man who was behind the glass for a lot of your favourite records — Martin Bisi, who will appear heading up his own band at l’Esco with Red Mass and Monsieur Leblanc. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m.

Saturday: Don’t miss the live debut of the Bottle, a band that has already recorded a truly slamming record. This far more serious project by members of Death Boat sounds like a perfect union of rock know-how and punk rock ferocity. Opening up (at l’Esco) is Blurry Eyes and Oakhearts. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $6

Easily one of the best venues in the city, and probably the most honest, is Brasserie Beaubien, who will host CAAPI, Sota Nakamura, stalwart Montreal post-punkers the American Devices, who will be dusting off some rare tunes from their very beginning in 1981, Darkwinds and Tang. 73 Beaubien E., 9 p.m., $10/PWYC

There are a couple of local bands that have been playing possum lately but are coming out during the heat wave, starting with the Pink Noise, who will launch a new slammer with Bile Sister an YlangYlang at Snack and Blues. If you have ever been privy to the uber awesomeness of Snack and Blues you know you will want to get there early as space will be extremely limited. 5260 St-Laurent, 9 p.m.

If you like your rock riffs delivered with all of the laissez faire attitude of a Flipper show, you will want to hike down to Barfly to catch Speed Fairies with Megalosonics who will launch the new jammer Instant Credibility. 4062 St-Laurent, 11 p.m.

Yob

Monday: Holy fug, this gonna be good…… For ultimate heaviness finds the light hidden in the darkness, you have to be at the Yob show at Sala. I saw Yob many moons ago at Katacombes and it blew my lid off. If that wasn’t enough, Bell Witch take up the middle slot and Show of Bedlam come back out of hiding with a vengeance. If this gig has you hot under the collar, move on down to Wednesday’s show announcement as you will want to be at that one, too. 1635 St-Laurent, 8:30 p.m., $20/$25

Tuesday: At one point, there didn’t seem like a week would go by where I wasn’t tapping my keyboard with Nobro show announcements. After not hearing from them for awhile, the band are back and at l’Esco with les Shirley and Juss. 4461 St-Denis, 9 p.m., $10

Wednesday: Holy crap, the end of this week is truly crazy. Expect to see the same people you saw at Yob when heavy as fug duo the Body inflict total damage with amazing support of Big/Brave, Lingua Ignota and Girl Circles. The Body and Yob within two days of each other! Way to go local promoters Suoni for absolutely killing it this week. La Vitrola (4602 St-Laurent), 8:30 p.m., $12/$15

 

Current Obsession: Yob, Clearing the Path to Ascension

jonathan.cummins@gmail.com