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.

All in all, a solid night of rock n' roll.