Claustrophobia, Was Nice Knowing Ya

 

Does the term “packed like a can of sardines” mean anything to you?

Well that is what it felt like this past Saturday at the Smiling Buddha, where we played a show in the clubs basement which best resembles those creepy dim lighting torture chambers you might have seen in your favourite B-Movie horror flick.  No Joke, our rehearsal space is larger for fuck sakes. There was no stage, no sound system other than a mixing board and two monitors and zero space for gear and equipment.  Once again a band pulled out due to a member breaking a leg. This is becoming an epidemic in the Metal scene. 3 consecutive shows we have played where a band has pulled out due to the same circumstance. Keep the stage diving to a minimal people! Anyways back to my little chamber of horrors story. Did I mention the ceiling was approx 1 foot above our head? No? Well I just did. We are all pretty tall with the exception of the little bastard we call a singer (Hi Jorge) but still, no ceiling should be that low.

We basically played the show unplugged only using our amps and the monitor for vocals. The club was packed, which was not hard to do given the size. Nelson had his foot pedal board facing the door way of the club. Without the benefit of a stage he was subjected to random people stepping on it during the set. His guitar was unplugged at least 6 times during the show and for the cherry on top broke his string during the last 15 seconds of the last song. Ever the showman, he grabbed the string and used it as a mock bow n’ arrow much to the delight of the crowd. Now aside from the space and lack of facilities this was as unique a show as we have ever played. The crowd was rowdy and gave off a lot of energy. The intimacy level was off the charts. We could literally make eye contact and smell the breath of the people standing right in front of us. LOL. During our “free merch” part of the show Marco half-assed launched a T-shirt which made it all the way to the end of the room hitting a dude square in the face. Nice way to get a free shirt. Ha-Ha

There was no room to store gear so when the show was over we had to quickly exit the club and dismantle our gear on the side walk. Fun times! It was a show that we won’t soon forget. Just when we thought we had played every shit hole in town!

All in all it was a fun night. Looking forward to our next gig on Nov 7^th at The Velvet Underground (downtown Toronto) with some relics of a lost age. Our good buddies in “Driven with Aggression” are making their return to the stage after 12 yrs of being disbanded. We look forward to that night and wish them the best on their return to the Metal scene.

Till then,

Stay the fuck away from sardine cans if you happen to be claustrophobic.
Cheers
Jeff - DR