Pop Montreal: Redd Kross + Les Breastfeeders + Uncle Bad Touch @ Rialto Theater

Ten years of Pop? Holy crap!

Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen happened during those years. I think of Nick Cave, Os Mutantes, Loudon Wainwright, Yo La Tengo, Sufjan Stevens, Les Savy Fav, The Asexuals reunion last year…

I’ll probably forget this year; besides the MAMMOTH free Arcade Fire show, there weren’t a whole lot of really high-interest acts. I don’t mean “big-name” acts, just… bands that make you fall out of your seat and say, “WHAT!?!? They still exist? And they’re TOURING?” This year there were a few acts that would’ve fallen into that category (The Raincoats, The Velvelettes, By Divine Right)… but that was about it. Although I’m really enjoying that new Girls record, and Yuck is pretty great… still, you just know they’ll both be playing MTL again within 6 months.

The only band I was willing to spend some of my hard earned… err… student loan on was Redd Kross. I DID fall out of my seat because it was... unexpected. They haven’t released an album since 1997’s Show World, and they haven’t been to Montreal since 2007.

Opening acts Uncle Bad Touch and Les Breastfeeders were pretty excellent, but they weren’t the reason I came in from Ottawa for the weekend. I came purely to see power-pop cult heroes Redd Kross for the first, and probably only time.

How is it possible that most of my friends (even the savviest of music aficionado’s) have never heard of them? It blows my mind; they were never hidden deep within the 80’s-90’s independent scene, and their contemporaries were reasonably popular bands like Dinosaur Jr and Teenage Fanclub. They’ve put out great albums (Born Innocent, Third Eye, Phaseshifter), singles ("Annie’s Gone," "Mess around"), heck, there’s even a music video for “Jimmy’s Fantasy” with a young Jason Lee as the lead role.

Criminally underrated, but not forgotten, Redd Kross’ performance blew me away. Whatever rust that might’ve accumulated over the years was unrecognizable. What you had were the rejuvenated McDonald brothers taking you back to 1987. Songs like “Mess Around”, “Pretty Please Me” and the cover of Bewitched's “Blow You a Kiss in the Wind” were pretty nuts, though I was in full head-banging mode when Phaseshifter hits “Lady in the Front Row” and “Jimmy’s Fantasy” played back-to-back. Did I mention guitarist Robert Hecker’s stage attire? Think Gandhi, in high-waisted orange pants playing a guitar well above the torso. You couldn’t help but stare.

Although I was thrilled with the setlist, there were 3 personal faves I would’ve liked hearing: “Love Is You” off of Neurotica (a 2 minute long song you might’ve written about your girlfriend when you were 16); “Monolith” from Phaseshifter (pne of the happiest songs from their catalogue); and, silly as it sounds, their cover of “Dancing Queen” is terrific. It’s the song that got me into them nearly 10 years ago. 

Oh, and let me add that there needs to be more amazing shows at the Rialto Theater? I hadn’t been there in eight years (though I almost saw Fred Penner there last year). The echo can be a bit much at times, but it’s such a gorgeous and underused venue. The Place can hold a modest-sized crowd, though that night’s audience wasn’t enormous. Looking around, you couldn’t help but notice the high-volume of recognizable MTL music scenesters (past and present), along with local record store owners, clerks, record industry admirers, and oldschool fans that had had September 24th circled on the calendar for months.

I don't know where I fit in, but I was I was glad to be there.

-Michael Bresciani