Dance Laury Dance + Aly + Barrel Proof @ Petit Campus

Dance Laury Dance is energetic heavy metal and rock 'n' roll that is sorely missed these days, and the punch I received to the neck in their mosh pit goes to show their fan-base is always down to party. Dance Laury Dance took the stage at Petit Campus March 22nd with fellow Quebec band Aly (or so their album states, though their Facebook page will tell you it's "Aly The Band") and Montrealers Barrel Proof.

Having seen them a year ago open for Toronto's Cancer Bats, I figured I knew what I was in for; cheesy booze & girls rock and roll about strippers and the illegal substances that go with them. This, as frontman Maxime Lemire assured me, is no longer the case. Gone are the days of Spandex and frilly mic-stands, gone are the tassels and '80s nostalgia grabs, and in their place? Riffs and grooves that would make Lemmy Kilmister blush.

The evening started with Aly (the band?), and I must say: the bar for the evening was set high. Newcomers from La Baie Quebec brought energetic hardcore and southern grooves to the stage, mixed with harmonious, clean singing. Take Cancer Bats and blend them together with Maylene and the Sons of Disaster (on their good days), and you have Aly. Catchy, groovy, and a commanding stage presence. The chemistry between front-man Frans Rossignol and singer/bass player Alex Côté was very entertaining, and their drummer held the beats down quite well. Only thing I would say was a little absent was the subsequent "rocking" from their guitarist, who seemed trapped behind a wall of his own pedal-board. Touring off their debut album Welcome to Our Nation, Aly is for sure a band I will keep an eye on.

Following this, Aly the band sure was not shown up any time soon, as Montrealers Barrel Proof showed us: you can be popular and still be boring as all hell. This band was one that is clearly going through an odd identity crisis of "do we want to rip off Red Hot Chili Peppers or do we want to rip off Iron Maiden?". Deciding to compromise and make an awkward attempt to blend the two, and coming off as just more generic, trendy metal. Best way I can describe this band is Bam Magera's band without Bam. Not much there to begin with, but even less point now.

I mentioned earlier that Dance Laury Dance was going to be giving us a taste of their new style, promoting their third album Hellalujah, and boy was it well-received. Show staples such as "Burning Hot" and "Montreal Hooker" (who could forget such a hometown classic?) were not left out of the show. Dance Laury Dance came out swinging with an explosion of bodies and fists (one of which struck me in the neck, got to love mosh-pits). The two most memorable parts of their set would have to be having the singer from Aly come on stage and perform the Liam Cormier part of "No One Left to Blame" off their new album, and their killer cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You". Though they may have traded in their cock-rock roots for more standard groove metal leather boots, you can't hate them with their over-the-top antics and classic metal vibe.

In conclusion: Aly the band, listen to them. Dance Laury Dance, still awesome. Barrel... something or other... Yeah, they happened. Noisy Loft out.