I wish I could make it that everyone who sees the Soft Skeleton has to drink Guinness, says Emily Haines, Metric’s cool, commanding and completely sexy front woman, as she takes another swig, “but it’s okay if you’re having, like, a vodka soda. I just don’t think you’ll totally get what we’re doing, but that’s okay!” Despite the absence of Guinness anywhere in the general vicinity, last Monday night’s show at Le National Théâtre was not lost on many.
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
REVIEWS
Motörhead. Kiss of Death. It’s time to dust off the cowboy boots and iron cross belt buckle and cut a rug to the 19th album by the UK’s original beer-drinkers and hell-raisers. Though markedly Motörhead, as per the abundance of ammunition adorning the cover to the plodding bass and bourbon-drenched vocals of front man Lemmy Kilmister, Kiss of Death is a pretty standard speed/thrash metal offering.
POP RHETORIC: I like it on top
Montreal is renowned for doing a lot of things very well – festivals, live music, smoked meat, poutine – but sometimes the things it does badly are overlooked. Specifically, pizza. There is no great pizza in Montreal. I know pizza isn’t a Montreal specialty, like smoked meat, but one might expect at least a few places to sneak in and corner the market.
PERSPECTIVE: Clix This
There is an excellent, clever and effective commercial invading our airwaves, and it drives me freakin’ crazy. Unilever, the maker of Axe deodorant spray, has hired ex-Newlywed Nick Lachey as their flirtatious, dimpled spokesman for its new fragrance, Clix.
RETROSPECTIVE: Jimi Hendrix 1942-1970
Even though he died 36 years ago yesterday, his music is among the most timeless and influential ever produced. Jimi Hendrix arguably changed the electric guitar sound more than any other guitarist in history. He was the guitar player who brought deft use of overdrive, feedback and the wah pedal to the masses and following in the footsteps of Eric Clapton’s days with Cream and John Mayayll’s Bluesbreakers, was among the first to swear by the Marshall Stack (amplifier) to give him one of the loudest, most blistering guitar sounds to accompany his legendary playing technique.
THEATRE: Takin’ off
The air was filled with a sense of unholy curiosity at Player’s Theatre on Friday night. The playbill of Around the World with les Dames en Disdress unabashedly labels the show burlesque, a term that for most conjures up risqué mental images of scantily clad females and provocative striptease acts.
MUSIC: Ears wide open
Unending curiosity regarding the content of the evening’s set list was likely at the forefront of a Snow Patrol fan’s mind on their way to the band’s Sept. 12 Metropolis performance. In 2004, the Irish heartthrobs relased The Final Straw Stateside and it was among the 30 best sellers in the U.
THEATRE: Off with your head!
In the beginning, there was lust, and in the end, there was still lust. Alexandre Marine’s latest stage production, L’evangile selon Salome, is a harrowing tale of a struggling youth, Salome, trying to resolve internal and external conflicts. The classic tale follows a series of modern theatrical twists, boasting musically inspired moments complemented by a world of incestuous perversion, deception and homoeroticism.
POP RHETORIC: Moshing to Mozart
Let’s talk about a typical concert experience. First, there is the jazz concert, the one at a trendy bar downtown. You go to swanky clubs such as Upstairs and listen to some whacked out players spin out jazz tunes. These tunes are so full of energy and funk that you won’t hesitate to scream and shout, whistle and holla’, especially considering all the noise from the drunken 45-year-olds in the back of the room.
TVMcGill shines a spotlight on student films
With online video clips already a welcome distraction at the library, it’s hardly surprising that the Fokus Film Festival’s popularity has expanded exponentially in the past four years. The festival, hosted by TVMcGill, showcases the works of film-savvy, creative McGill students and awards prizes to the best films in each category.