Satan's Little Helper

About 2 hours later on Thursday, I was back at the Burdock for the late show. The venue was already full for opener Steven Lambke. My guess was that there were a lot of Burning Hell's fans/friends but also some The Constantines aficionados. Though he was later joined by his band, Lambke's solo material was more introspective overall. But there were hints of some Constantines bombast in a few of the tunes. I quite enjoyed the lyricism of his songs, but the frequent off-key vocals was surprising.

Knowing how rowdy, or at least rambunctious, a Burning Hell show usually is, I moved from the back to the front and side just before their set. A good thing too, as several people sitting in the middle rows suddenly found their views blocked off as a large mass pushed themselves forward right up to the stage when the band started playing. Though mostly known for intricate word-play from lead singer Mathias Korn, their music can also be quite catchy and danceable. So I was curious to see if that playful spirit could be maintained now that they were a trio instead of a 5-piece. Well, they still have it in spades such as when they snuck a Rage Against The Machine bridge into their song Barbarians. No one was surprised that Darren Browne can also shred the bouzouki and lay down bass grooves. But the fact that Ariel Sharratt, still doing harmony and playing her bass clarinet, can play a mean drum in the latter half of their set was an eye-opener.

 So the 76th show of their current 78 show tours was the same as their previous visits to Toronto: fun, witty, and had plenty of opportunities for sing-alongs.