Nekromantix, Scally Cap Brats, RawRawRiot @ Ritual
Cemeteries around the city were missing a few ghouls and goblins as Danish legend of psychobilly, Nekromantix, raised the dead at Ritual Nightclub, Tuesday January 21.
Kicking open the gates to hell while slapping his signature stand-up bass designed to look like a coffin, Kim Nekroman of the Nekromantix led the band through a diverse and charged set. They played songs ranging from all ends of their 25-year catalog–they have 8 albums–and the crowd was going nuts the entire time. They are quite the sight to see live, the way Nekroman spins his bass is hypnotizing.
Nekromantix fought through the polar vortex currently invading Ottawa, but were not happy about it. “We’re enjoying the weather here… Fuck you, we will be back, but never back in January,” said Nekroman with a smirk. Some of the highlights for me were hearing some of my favourites such as “Gargoyles of Copenhagen,” “Subcultural girl,” and “Haunted Cathouse.” But what really blew me away was the excellent musicianship they displayed during a huge musical break during “Bloody Holiday” with a sweet drum solo and bass solo. Music was not the main thing that drew me to this band, it was the ghastly tales and the dark yet fun lyrics. After leaving the stage for a second time, the band returned due to the crowd’s uproar. Why was the crowd mad? I assume it was because they had yet to play their big crowd pleaser, “Who Killed the C
heerleader.” As an aside, I was sort of proud of them for not paying it. I love the tune, but it must be tiring to be expected to play a song you wrote over a decade ago every night. However they did not seem to mind. As the chants for “one more song” erupted they jumped back on stage, grabbed their weapons and slayed “Who Killed the Cheerleader.”
Before demons ran rampant, Ottawa’s very own Scally Cap Brats stirred the crowd into a ruckus. The nation’s capital’s answer to Dropkick Murphys were everything you want in a Celtic punk band. They had a Boston rasp in their vocals, a mandolin, were full of Oi, were all drinking and had songs about the working man and whiskey. I freaking loved it! Had it not been for Nekromantix’s killer set, they probably could have stolen the show from the headliner. In a touching moment, they dedicated their song “Take A Shot” to their former bass player’s father who passed away this past weekend, a class act by the boys. Some tunes that stuck out for me were their new one, “Yankee Jim,” and their song “Whiskey, Beer and Cider.” Check out some of their music right below.
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Getting the night rolling was RawRawRiot. Hey, sue me if you want–their name is appropriate. The all-girl four piece from Ottawa were a raw punk rock band not trying to be anything they are not. They delivered gritty tunes driven by power chords and thumping drums. My favourite part of the set was their cover of Joy Division’s “Transmission” sung by the bass player. I can also see their opening track “Drink” quickly becoming a crowd favourite.