While it was cold and windy outside, The Brass Monkey was warm and energetic on Nov. 4. Silverstein, Seaway, Like Pacific, and Cedar Green turned the Nepean bar into a hardcore punk rock party. The sold-out show brought together an enthusiastic crowd of metal heads and punk rock lovers to enjoy a night that was both intimate, and loud and exciting.
With the long line-up of people wrapping its way around the building, the show started with a performance by Philadelphia-based band Cedar Green, who set the tone for the evening by revving up the crowd with their intense, pulsating sound.
Up next was Like Pacific. The Toronto-based pop-punk band kept things going with a lively and active performance, getting the crowd jumping all the way through, keeping up the volume and interacting witthe people in the front.
Although they are not the official headliners of the tour, the crowd responded to Seaway’s performances as if they were. The Oakville-based pop-punk band performed a great mix of songs from their 2017 album Vacation, as well as from their previous work, showing their stylistic versatility as a band.
“There are some nights where the new songs get better reactions than the old ones,” frontman Ryan Locke told The Charlatan in a previous interview.
That observation was quite evident, as the crowd sang and jumped along as they played through new hits, such as “Lula on the Beach” and “Something Wonderful.” The crowd still really enjoyed some of the older songs they played, such as “Best Mistake.”
After a quick changeover, Silverstein came out in full force to close off the night. The post-hardcore band, originally from Burlington, Ont., went all-out as they rocked through a set full of their well-known classics and newer releases from their latest album, Dead Reflection. With the intense vocals of lead singer Shane Told, the audience was absolutely pumped throughout the entire performance.
The crowd was made up of people of all ages, from teenagers to adults, and it responded differently to each of the performances. The first three acts, especially Seaway, got a great reaction from the younger fans and Silverstein got a great reaction from the older members of the audience, likely because the band has been around since 2000.
The atmosphere was fantastic. There were a few mosh pits and crowd surfers, as one might expect from a post-hardcore concert, but no injuries, no fights, and nobody was kicked out.
Perhaps the only issue was that the venue was too small. While the energy was well-contained, the concert was sold out and over a dozen late-comers without tickets were turned away at the door.
Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy the show, the music was great and it was an amazing night of punk music.
Photo by Jeff Pelletier
