The Mod Club September 19, 2010
By: Mike Greene
The Birthday Massacre ended their North American CD release tour on a high note with a homecoming show at the Mod Club on September 16 in support of their new album Pins and Needles. Toronto’s Goth community came out of hiding still without a solid place to call home, which makes shows like this that much more appealing.
The night started out with Oshawa alternative outfit and recent newcomer to the Toronto concert circuit Mary and the Black Lamb. Fronted by former Princess Riot front woman Lindz Riot, they come out as a very confident band that has everything together and has been waiting for a diverse audience like this, and judging from the crowd’s reaction, it didn’t take long for them to make some new fans. Their soulful yet rocking songs have a great combination of clean vocals from Riot and screams from guitarist Nixon Cutz without overdoing it. With excellent on stage chemistry, if they stay on the trail they’ve been blazing it won’t be long before they become the best thing to come out of Oshawa since…uhm…help me out here?
Up next was a band that TBM is bringing with them for their October tour across the UK, Toronto’s Raggedy Angry. Raggedy Angry is an electro-industrial band with an interesting setup: an electric drum kit, two guitars, and a synth machine complete with an eccentric front man. A computerized voice greeted the crowd between songs that reminded me of A.S.T.A.R. from the old War Amps commercials (I can put my arm back on, you can’t!). Although this was entertaining and creative, it wasn’t always easy to understand. The band itself sounds like if Marilyn Manson joined Mindless Self Indulgence with a good mix of harder rock songs with more synth-heavy selections. One of the highlights from their set was a spot on cover of “Robot Rock” by Daft Punk. Finally The Birthday Massacre dawned the stage opening with “In the Dark” off the new album and proceeded to play a great set of familiar favourites. They did an awesome job of mixing up the set list, but most notable was how the audience still sang along to the new songs despite Pins and Needles coming out only a few days prior, showing how dedicated their fans are. Lead singer Chibi is an absolute delight on stage, not just for her cooing to growling vocal talents, but she is a master of audience interaction both between songs and during. She is a huge ball of energy and always extending a hand, pointing or making a heart sign with her hands that makes everyone in the venue feel special.
TBM expressed how happy they were to be playing a hometown show and would come back soon. For their encore they opened with “Happy Birthday” where keyboardist Owen grabbed a hand out of the front row and guided it through the synth solo. Ending the night with “Walking With Strangers,” they thanked everyone for coming out before leaving the smoky stage for good. About to embark on a month-long UK tour, TBM are definitely worth checking out upon their return. For more information on the Birthday Massacre, check out www.myspace.com/thebirthdaymassacre.
For more information on Raggedy Angry, check out www.myspace.com/raggedyangry
For more information on Mary and the Black Lamb, check out www.myspace.com/maryandtheblacklamb