Steve’s Job (fka Sally Ride) + Fruit & Flowers, Deathsticks at Pressed
NYC’s Fruit & Flowers made a quick tour stop in Ottawa on July 5th, playing an energetic show along with Sally Ride and Deathsticks at Pressed. Sally Ride—now known as Steve’s Job—opened the night with some meowing and gentle laughter as they transitioned into first song. The members of the band had nerves flowing through them but with their humour, banter, and strange aura of what’s possibly feigned confidence, they truly made it seem like they were naturals. Despite it being their second show, they perform as if they’ve been on stage countless times together. The band is one that kicks off everything summer is, and with their light and airy sound they sound like a redefined indie rock.
Sacha’s vocals are distorted and in the background, but very prominent at the same time. The almost monotone singing lulls you into a dreamy state but the guitars, drums, and keyboard bring you back to reality, keeping you on that edge. With intricate riffs, a strong bassline, and keyboard playing that sounds almost like synths, the band really ties it all together, almost like a gift that was chosen especially for you.
Not only do they play very well, but the band is one that’s impressive because of the versatility of instruments they switch to. With Hillary, who mainly plays the drums, switching to keyboard, up front and centre, and the guitarist and keyboard player switching to drums. The lot also know how to turn awkward banter funny, and get the crowd to participate in it as well, creating a more intimate feel to the entire set.
Fruit & Flowers, a band from Brooklyn, NY, began by introducing themselves with the classic riff from all those movies where people get on their surfboards and start shredding the wave, it started as surf rock. Don’t let this fool you though. The band itself is a very hipster looking band with an angry but equality elegant and beautiful sound. This band redefines anything you thought could be punk. They bring an entirely new set of sounds to the genre while playing with the classic sound that we love. The bass player and lead vocalist, Caroline, was up front and centre and her playing shook us to the core. She has a light and fairy-like aura but she shreds like there is no tomorrow.
Between the two guitars, her bass, and the drums, there is always a rhythm set while Ana plays intricate riffs over it, really setting a tone. Gentle vocals mixing with a fast doesn’t work, but the fast-paced bassline and prominent guitars make the crowd want to move, whether it is dancing, swaying, shifting foot to foot, or jumping up and down. They turn punk into a genre you can dance to. The solo’s fall nothing short of mesmerizing—impressive stage presence, with feedback, very quick playing, and smooth transitions back into the main verses. They bring in true punk energy mixed in with the quick pace that a band like The Misfits set.
The thing about Fruit & Flowers is that they also turn their sound into a psychedelic garage rock for some songs and it works because of the riffs played and the gentle and harmonic vocals. The band doesn’t restrict themselves to solely one genre which is really mind-blowing. Usually when every song on a record has a different take to it, it doesn’t work, but these guys have mastered it and have bent it to their will. The band is an absolute must see band if you ever find yourself itching to see a show packed with energy and artistic vision.
The last band to play was a band called Deathsticks. They are a duo but they sound far more numerous than that thanks to pedals and the drumming. The drum lines are ones that bring a new kick into it and truly encompass punk of the past, such as The Faith. They gave no mercy to the kit and the drumstick fell apart. The constant use of the ride and crash cymbal really set in the angry tone the band possessed, however the fact that she showed so much control while letting loose proved that Laura has truly mastered drumming. The guitar playing was absolutely wild in comparison to anything else I’d seen so far. It was all over the place, messy, but it sounded good. I’ve heard people say that punk noise sounds like shit, well let me tell you, this is very good shit in that case.
Matt’s slides and incredibly quick riffs turn into a muddle but listening to it closely, you can make out what he’s doing. The two have a Sonic Youth like dynamic around the vocals much like Thurston and Kim did but instead of singing they scream. Sometimes at the same time, other times not. They’ll have more spoken parts to songs like in Mountain Men and sometimes they’ll full out scream like in 30 Second Song. Had the setting been a dingy bar as opposed to Pressed Café, there would have been a mosh pit. The two play with feedback, letting it grow wild, and sometimes taking care of it when they planned to.
This is a band I’d go to see again—no doubt about it. If you want to throw yourself into a pit, experience the mind-and-eardrum blowing experience that is Deathsticks, please do so. I’ll probably see you there.
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Photos by Sara Osmanovic
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