BLACK
HALOS/ JET CITY FIX
Live at the Zoo, Winnipeg
September 26, 2003 Review by Ryan Settee
Recently
reunited with two new members, I have to admit that I
was skeptical of whether the new Black Halos (minus old
members Matt Camirand and Rich Jones) could still deliver
the goods. But they didn't disappoint. Tearing through
a good blend of songs off their two albums, they handed
the audience a near hours' worth of their raucous "straight
outta '77 punk rock n' roll".
Alot
of the most endearing things were still intact. Did singer
Billy Hopeless get tangled up in the mic cord? Yep. Did
he swing the mic, nearly hitting band members? Sure thing.
The pseudo strip show? Uh-huh. Half drunk bizarrely witty
between song banter? Check. And as usual, the band put
in 100 percent, playing is if it were their last gig (and
thankfully it ain't). The crowd was going nuts for the
Halos, and it's not hard to see why.
Another
thing that I was wondering, was whether the departure
of Jones and Camirand would affect the background vocal
sound. It didn't. The background vocals sounded as great
as ever. And the band seems to have toned down a bit of
the glammed up look for more of a complete '77 punk look,
as well. No cheetah print vests, no leather pants (instead
opting for black jeans), Billy was sporting a Misfits
style lock of hair hanging down from his mostly shaved
head, and I didn't see any eyeliner.
Not
merely content to ride the wave of their old popularity--and
they could have, seeing as there was a great sized crowd--
despite the reunion, they had two brand spankin' new songs
that perfectly recalled what they've always done ("Two
Sheets to the Wind", and another one that I forget the
name of). Glad to see these guys back, they're playing
better than ever, and while they ain't the best musicians,
they wear their hearts on their sleeve, and what you see
is what you get, which is a welcome relief in this music
industry of phonies and fakes.
Opening
band Jet City Fix played a blisterin' set of rock n' roll
that seems poised to break through to a wider, and larger
audience (read: stadiums and arenas). One thing that I
noticed about them, is that they have great melodic songs
without losing their edge, which is a much needed thing
in this "rock revolution". Usually bands suffer from being
too wimpy if melodic, or too one dimentional if they rock
really hard. Not Jet City Fix, as they rock hard AND memorably.
They had the chops, the attitude, the look, and the talent
to pull off being the best thing since.....themselves,
I guess. The Misfits gloves were a nice touch, too.
BLACK
HALOS/ JET CITY FIX