Groups play rambunctious house show.
Kappa Chow, Feral Trash, and the Nymphets played a house show on Union Street last Friday night. As the trio of bands managed to draw quite an audience over the course of the evening, the wooden floor of the living room creaked quite worryingly, calling the choice of the living room as a setting into question. It was a surprising choice of venue, given that punk shows are often better suited to basements. However, the room still served its purpose and the floor did not cave in, however close it came.
The Nymphets, a Halifax band with roots in both Montreal and Stockholm, had a lot of energy and a lot of variety in their set for a band of only two. They got the crowd up and moving, making it clear that this was not going to be a sitting down kind of show. They were erratic, loud, and fast throughout their set, with their early punk and Brit-pop influence clearly felt. However, as their set wore on, their sound wore out.
Feral Trash continued the DIY punk trend with another particularly early sounding set—it seemed to be the factor that really tied the night together, carrying on into Kappa Chow’s mixture of rock ‘n’ roll and punk. Feral Trash’s addition to the overall mix was a haunting twist to each song they played. There were also songs that brought Ennio Morricone to mind, a distinctively southern sound that not often heard in combination with punk but that was present nonetheless. During their set, the night was at its most rambunctious and the wooden floor was stressed to an alarming point.
Kappa Chow took their places in the living room last. Playing in a curious set up that had the entire band facing one another, they rolled out a slew of crowd favourites. Their setup made the set look like a practice while still sounding like a performance. This new arrangement, combined with the informal setting, made it feel inclusive and added energy to the music.
The only problem: the set didn’t start until late in the night, due to earlier delays. It didn’t affect Kappa Chow’s performance, but it did affect the atmosphere and the audience size, about half having already moved on elsewhere for the night. It was a shame because the Sackville punks delivered yet another tight show that made the terribly rainy walk and seven dollar cover worth it.
