THE DIRTY NIL AT LONDON MUSIC HALL IN ONTARIO
Yet again, another awesome band from (Dundas, but basically) Hamilton, Ontario has hit the scene. Punk/rock ‘n’ roll trio, The Dirty Nil, started their “Idiot Victory Tour” in London, Ontario. Opening the night up was Brampton’s DEAR-GOD. They are either a solo act with a supporting band, or a whole band. Their sound had multiple genres fused together from metal to rap to rave music. The songs were structured like rap/rave songs, but were instumentally rock. Their lyrics weren’t easy to pick up on, but the rapping flowed and merged well in the rave inspired beats. All the guitars and bass were gritty and low toned as hell for a grungey feel. It took most of their set for them to loosen up, but once they did, they really let go of any shyness from before and the audience gained more interest. I highly recommend checking out their gritty and catchy single “The Burbs”.
Longtime friends of The Dirty Nil, and fellow Dine Alone Records punk band, Single Mothers was second to play. Most, if not all, of their set was high tempo punk; one song after another without tire. Lead singer Drew Thompson’s singing style was what I’d call “talk-yelling” which he maintained throughout their songs. He held his composure well and wasn’t throwing theatrics to get attention. He pointed around a lot like an orchestral conductor, and loved to air drum to the racing beats. There were a good amount of patrons who were fans of Single Mothers, yelling along at the barrier rails and beginning the mosh pit that would continue through the night. Drew took a moment to talk and say that he’s originally from London, Ontario and asked if anyone is in a band. A few audience members raised their hands and he dedicated a song to those choosing the band life because he knows how hard it was to start and get the ball rolling. The high tempo punk songs continued right to the end of their set.
Finally, it was time for The Dirty Nil. The band took advantage of the large screen behind them provided by the venue to create a dramatic opening. The main lights went out, fog crawled on the stage, and their grim reaper artwork from their 2018 Master Volume album was animated on the screen. The band walked on stage with lead singer Luke Bentham in his recurring star patterned attire, drummer Kyle Fisher all in white with “Idiot” sharpied on his t-shirt, and Ross Miller in a leather jacket. Classic.
They started off with bangers like “Little Baby Metal Fist”, “Bathed In Light”, and their newest single and tour title, “Idiot Victory.” Throughout their set they almost completely played their album Master Volume, as well as live favourites from earlier albums. They debuted a new song that had never been played or heard before that night called “Doom Boy”. Versus their newest single “Idiot Victory”, the guitar drove much harder like an 80s Metallica song, but soon returned to almost pop-punk in their choruses. I liked it a bit better than “Idiot Victory”. Between a couple songs they talked a bit, being sweet about each other. A happy band is a good band.
In addition to being the bassist, Ross was the hype man, exclaiming about “[having made] the best rock n’ roll album ever!!” and “...we’re so sick!”, jumping and kicking on the stage. The crowd was sure going with a mosh pit the whole night long. If not in the mosh pit, all were singing along to the catchy tunes and rocking merch.
Front man Luke introduced their other single from earlier this year “Astro Ever After”, a song about pondering life after death, by dedicating the song to his thirteen year old dog that died earlier this year, which was very sweet. Toward the end of their set Luke again intro’d “Evil Side” as a song to slow dance to if you had a partner that night. This song is one of my favourites from Master Volume (the lyrics hit my feels). Live, it started innocently and sweetly, then burst into a guitar shredding session with flashing lights that just made for a really unique listening and jamming experience.
The band was brought back for an encore where they played one of their oldest and successful singles “Fuckin’ Up Young”, then “Pain of Infinity”, and suprisingly a cover of “We Are The Champions” by Queen. Luke’s vocals were so on point, demonstrating his singing ability which doesn’t appear as often in their original songs where he yells and howls much more.
The Dirty Nil became one of my favourite acts throughout the past year, this gig being my third of theirs in 2019. They remind me of how back in time, hearing from him, rock seemed to be just about being loud because it was fun. It didn’t have to be about being dressed in all black, or be superbly meaningful or conceptual like it has been for almost 20 years now. I don’t have a problem with those things (that’s what I grew up on), but seeing The Nil with that old school inspiration is refreshing. They’re just catchy, kick-ass, and enjoy being loud! In the Canadian rock scene, they are a hot band right now and Master Volume has done really well, but I feel like the best is yet to come. I can’t wait for more music and shows from this band! They're on tour from Nov 21st - Dec 12th with mostly dates in North East American cities, and a couple more in Canada. Check them out on the rest of their “Idiot Victory Tour”!