10 Jun 2013

Friday May 31 saw the continuation of the Out Loud Series at Red Papaya with GAIN Music and KronikNoise hosting Skynet, Partycat, Seducing Medusa, and In the Act of Violence.

Once again, loads of metal heads came out to support some awesome Ontario metal.

Oshawa’s In the Act of Violence filled in at the last minute when Kennedy fell off the bill. I love listening to these guys live. They’re heavy as f*ck, but there’s something almost comforting in their riffs and changes – the music often goes where you want it to, making it quickly likable for new fans and a great way to start off the night. In the Act of Violence effortlessly worked up the crowd early on and brought a selection of Guelph’s finest hardcore dancers to the floor. At this point, nobody got hurt … yet.

Hometown boys Seducing Medusa played a raucous set and made excellent use of the unique space at Red Papaya, coming right out over the railings and playing into the pit. The crowd loved it, and I love bands that know how to put on a show! One of my favourite moments in the set was when singer Cody Mcdermid yelled “F*ck same coloured socks!” Seducing Medusa played with wild abandon – when I said “crazy” earlier, I meant it – I’m coining a new genre just for Seducing Medusa: Stoner Insane Asylum Metal.

Partycat was up next and this is never a band to miss. These guys always know how to have fun and put on a good show, and that night at Red Papaya was no exception. This is when things got even more crazy … during the set, frontman Joshua Cottreau landed on an unsuspecting audience member. Let’s sum it up to say that there was a lot of blood. Metal shows can be intense, but playing safe is always a priority for everyone involved – Unkle Rick jumped in to handle the situation and everyone was ok. So a big shout out to MMBris who got a few stitches and can now start stories with “Hey, remember that time a singer fell on my face?”

Honestly, at this point in the night I remember thinking “Holy sh*t, there’s still more to come?!” and then Skynet took to the stage with their progressive groove metal and brought the house down. Like their music, this was an intense performance and drew a big crowd to the pit. I don’t know how Red Papaya felt about it, but Skynet kept swinging the lights around during their set and it looked so rad! Skynet left the crowd calling for an encore and wanting more, but unfortunately it didn’t come. The night was over and some pretty crazy memories were made.

Be sure to check out the next Out Loud Series show from GAIN Music and KronikNoise – local favourites Mandroid Echostar will be supporting Courage My Love June 15 at Van Gogh’s Ear.