PKEW PKEW PKEW AT HORSESHOE TAVERN IN TORONTO
The late night bill at the Horseshoe Tavern was about celebrating Canada’s thriving punk/rock community. Toronto’s own Pkew Pkew Pkew released their second LP Optimal Lifestyles with Dine Alone Records in March 2019. It stuck true to their fun, punk-pop roots, but with a refined quality.
Three openers began the night. First up was Eamon McGrath who I caught at the last minute. He is a folk artist from Edmonton who blended some punk rock structure in his slower paced songs.
Next was Montréal’s NOBRO. The audience didn’t know what they had in store. This all female punk foursome punched the calm atmosphere in the face with a gritty, driving force. They really loosened and pumped up the crowd, and impressed them with their high tempo and sometimes groovy trashing. Lead singer and bassist Kathryn McCaughey’s voice unapologetically screeched, and lead guitarist, Gabrielle La Rue, felt her guitar solos and brought cheers from the crowd. Drummer, Sarah Dion, also drummed with precision and freedom. Lisandre Bourdages not only had the job of keyboardist, but also bongo player, which was an inventive insertion to their music. They definitely were a highlight opener from the night.
Another Montréal punk foursome (this time male) Barrasso came on next. When arriving on stage, they complimented NOBRO for blowing them away with crazy energy. “That was fucking awesome,” they said. Throughout their set, they were very much classic punk rock. Lots of noise, but with less rock n’ roll structure. The crowd even lost their energy a bit, or were perhaps taking a break before Pkew Pkew Pkew came on, but they were still attentive, taking in and appreciating what they played. The vocals had some post-hardcore moments. They ended their set by saying, “We know you don’t speak French, but thanks for sticking around.”
Looking around the floor, the venue was pretty much full. When midnight struck, the Toronto foursome Pkew Pkew Pkew started their set and the audience pounced right back into action with the whole floor becoming a mosh pit, toppling over each other, falling on the front of the stage, and singing every word. Pkew’s sound is pop-punk, but doesn’t sound like dated 2007 pop-punk. They sound like guys who sing around a bonfire up in Muskoka in the summer, but in a punk band. Their lyrics have that kind of feel as well, talking about beers in the cabin and songs about small towns. That’s what made them so dang catchy to sing along to, like camp songs, but pop-punk of course. Their guitar riffs made you wiggle around and each of the guitarists and the bassist had their turns to sing. The band smiled all night long jamming out, but also keeping an eye on the fans crowd surfing and falling over. They played back to back hits with hardly any breaks. Toward the end of their hour long set, they mentioned they weren’t even sure how many people would come up, but were really happy all their “friends” (fans) made the show full and went as hard as they did. An encore was shortly called onto the band and they played three more songs.
Somehow Canada’s punk/rock is becoming the best and most fun in the world. The community is so supportive of each other. You’re always likely to see the same people chasing the same gigs you are, and that’s where friends are made. At Pkew’s gig, it’s no different. After their run in Canada, they are touring in the UK and Germany for January-February.