Danish invasion at Babylon: Iceage, Lower and Pregnancy Scares
It was a Danish post-punk take over at Babylon on June 17th, with a hint of Ottawa hardcore. Yes, Babylon had a moment of clarity and put on a rock show.
Iceage were rocking so hard that both the lead singer and the guitarist broke strings on their guitars within the first few songs. This may have been a blessing in disguise for the headliners, as the energy on stage picked up once the singer decide not to play guitar for the rest of the set. The band barely said a word to the crowd other than song names and a thank you here and there. It is always interesting seeing a band from foreign lands, as they often just rock through their set and walk off with very little crowd interaction. Maybe it is due to a language barrier, maybe that is just the style across the pond? Either way it leaves more room for music, so no complaint. I really enjoyed hearing their songs ”Coalition” and ”Everything Drifts” live.
Lower, the other band from Denmark played second. I loved how the singer often started calm and the emotion in his voice and his action got more and more aggressive until he exploded at the end of songs. Having never heard them before I really dug their stuff, specifically the songs “Pictures of Passion’’ and “Someone’s Got It in for Me.”
Opening the night was Ottawa’s noisy, energetic, in your face band Pregnancy Scares. They started their show with a distorted wall of noise, and the rage never slowed down. Lead singer, Craig Proulx, looks possessed with his eyes bulging out of his head and his mic wrapped around his neck as he sings. There was not a single moment of the set without sounds blaring out of the amps, and I would not want it any other way.
This show was the last pre-Ottawa Explosion Weekend show, so the stage is now set. Starting June 19th, over 100 bands will take over 10 different venues during a six day stretch. For more info check out their site, and don’t miss out on this sick DIY festival!
Lastly, shout out to Justin the sound man for playing some old school Ottawa jams by Three Penny Opera in between bands.