The Dirty Nil, Carraway and Mnemonics @ Pressed March 14
“Hello we are the Dirty fucking Nil from Dundas, Ontario. Let’s party.” Yup it was that kind of show at Pressed on Friday, March 14.
The Dirty Nil blasted through their set at a high speed and never slowed. Opening with ”You’re a Swine” and following that up with “Nicotine,” off their new album Smite. The crowd was loving every minute of it, singing a long, getting a little mosh pit going, and looking super happy as a whole. I loved that fact that they covered The Misfits’s very controversial, and often upsetting, song “Last Caress.” Adding to the atmosphere during that ghoulish punk rock song was the sound of sirens and flashing lights as emergency vehicles sped by… It was perfect. The Dirty Nil, to me, are this year’s PUP. A wicked, in-your-face garage band with great charisma and ready to explode. Don’t miss out, check them out or you will be pissed when I’ll say I told you so.
Carraway rocked Pressed as well, but from a very different angle. I had never seen this local band before and sure am glad I finally got to check them out. The guys have a great balance of post-hardcore and melodic, even emo at times. It was excellent, and it brought me back to all my favourite parts of high school as it sounded like they were channeling bands like Brand New, Moneen and Taking Back Sunday, but in a modern way. They had great breakdowns, vocally and instrumental, and I was really impressed by their use of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of” intro as a transition from song to song. On top of their original material, which I really enjoyed, they truly tugged at my heart-strings when they closed with “You Know You’re Right” by Nirvana.
Kicking off the night was Ottawa’s Mnemonics. They also took me back in time with their 90’s style power-pop and rock flares. One thing I really loved about them is how the drummer is at times the lead singer. It always blows me away when someone can do this. Highlights for me were the great lyrics in “House,” the harmonies and riffs in “Bitter Bug” and, my favourite, the really rocking “Near Modern Disaster.” No pressure, but I sure would love some form of recording from you lads because having to turn to Myspace all the time isn’t the most convenient in this day in age. Just saying!