The Hives, The Donnas and The Carps @ Kool Haus

Remember a few years ago when bands like The Hives, The Vines and The Strokes were all set to save rock 'n roll from the ever dwindling trite pop music scene? Well, mission accomplished. However, that was a few years ago now, and the continued relevancy of the various "The" bands of the time is debatable. Except, perhaps, to the thousand or so in attendance at Kool Haus last night.

Have I mentioned how much I hate Kool Haus? We arrived early so as to be one of the first in line so that I would be able to see something. Because I never see anything when I'm at Kool Haus. Because it's a horrible venue. Of course, the ever proficient staff was not informed of the "limited CMW wristband arrangement" for this show, making our hour long wait in the drizzle all for naught. After the security guard finished explaining to me all sorts of facts about this show and Canadian Music Week that I already knew, he finally arranged for us and the few other shafted ones to get in. For this, we are eternally grateful, but our chances for claiming a good spot was just not going to happen. Oh we were about four rows from the front, but you see, that does not mean that one gets to actually see what's going on in that spot. Because Kool Haus is a horrible venue. Thus concludes my rant on why I hate Kool Haus. Oh, how was the show?

Well, like I said, for me, The Hives were sooooo four years ago, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't expecting a good, solid, rock 'n roll show. And thankfully, in that area, they delivered. Strutting around the stage like a Swedish Jagger and screaming at the crowd like a totally white James Brown, Pelle Almqvist proved that his band is totally worthy of the honor of introducing true authentic sounding garage rock to a new generation of youths. The stage setup was really cool, from the flashing logo to the smoke machine. This was an example of pure rock 'n roll swagger and showmanship. In living up to the title of my blog and the words of Sloan however, it's not the band I hate, it's their fans. I had lost something while out on the floor and it was just too dark to look for it. What was it again? Oh yes, it was my patience. So although it was a great show, I was Out-E before the encore. I don't mean to sound like your father, but you kids have got to calm down. Just kidding. It was likely the energetic vibe of the crowd that enabled the band to put on such high energy show. So have fun kids!

Photos: The Hives @ Kool Haus on flickr
Myspace: The Hives
Video: Tick Tick Boom on youtube

Opening for The Hives, were The Donnas. Again, a few years ago I had a real weakness for female rock bands, and The Donnas were certainly one of my favorites. However, as time passed I have to admit that these girls would fall more under a sort of guilty pleasure category for me. The lyrics are just so juvenile and dumb, and their musicianship is nothing to brag about. But they are fun, and their show was fun also. Donna A. (aka Brett Anderson) has had a few years to hone her skills at showmanship and she really knows how to command a crowd and show them a good time. The whole band played well together, and their brand of high energy rawk never let up for a minute.

Photos: The Donnas @ Kool Haus on flickr
Myspace: The Donnas
Video: Skintight on youtube

Opening the night was actually the act that impressed me most, Toronto's own The Carps. Taking a cue from fellow Torontonians Mstrkrft, these guys combined the forces of electronica and high in testosterone heavy rock to create a sound that is driving and infectious. The band consists of Jamal Tonge on lead vocals and drums and Neil A. White on guitar and laptop, electronic type sounds. (Or something like that. Can you tell that I don't listen to a lot of electronica?) Jamal's pitch perfect voice gives the band a very slight R & B feel, which adds to their original sound. Apparently The Carps are another band that has seemed to catch on overseas prior to being known in their hometown. Their performance last night however is sure to gain them a bigger local fanbase and rightly so.

Photos: The Carps @ Kool Haus on flickr
Myspace: The Carps
Video: Compton To Scarboro on youtube