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I have lived in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and travelled solo through the Middle East, but for some reason, since moving to Montreal four years ago, I have been terrified to set foot in les Foufounes Électriques. I didn't even know it was called Foufounes until the night of the show. I always just thought of it as "that place on St. Catherine's that seems like it's seen a lot of knife fights." That's probably not fair. If you have never been to Foufounes it's actually pretty impressive on the inside, meaning huge. It has that sickly sweet bar smell and gives off an air of stickiness.

The opening act was slated to start at 8 p.m., and they started not far off from that. As a former stage manager, I was delighted. I love shows that start on time. It was a group called Biblical from Toronto. They describe themselves as "Heavy rock, proto-metal, rock, stoner rock."

Biblical was a really solid opening act. They got on stage, they rocked out, they had a good sound, and they spoke a little bit of French. Their music was danceable and I was feeling pumped. They didn't demand energy from us, they created energy for us. Towards the end of the set though, I started to notice the roughness in the vocals and they got a bit pitchy, but I would see them again. Also, if anyone out there is interested in writing a rock musical based on the Old Testament, they should look into collaborating with this group. I think it could work.

Soon it was time for the main event! I could see right away that the crowd was psyched to be there. Some people had brought their own smiley-faced beach balls and streamers. The show started off with air raid sirens and the voice of Andrew W.K. echoing through the room telling us that we were about to have the best night of our lives! To focus on the happiness! To remember that were all there to have a good time together! And to get fucking wasted, of course. The rallying cry of the evening: This is not a performance, this is a PARTY!

And it was.

I was really impressed that just two dudes, two mics, and one keyboard could produce that much energy. Andrew W.K. sang to pre-recorded back tracks and yet still managed to put on a better show and have more stage presence than some five-piece bands I have seen in the past. This guy could work a room, and he was really successful at emanating this positive vibe. There was a mosh pit, but even that was like a mosh pit of brotherly love. There was some crowd surfing, but it was mostly a core group of guys doing the heavy lifting.

Towards the end of the night one guy ended up stage. Andrew W.K. was really nice to him, hugged him and let him hang out a bit. I guess it was his birthday? They had a high five marathon that was pretty epic.

Later in the night we counted down from 99 and I have no idea why. On the last song of the evening another crowd surfer ended up on stage, and then eventually a whole bunch of people just climbed on stage and rocked out.

Overall, I had a good night. I was totally sober the whole show but I still enjoyed myself, and I think that's the mark of a good show. I would go see Andrew W.K. again and I would recommend his show to anyone because it's entertaining. You don't have to be a fan to have a good time. If you are stressed or need to blow off some steam and you have a chance to see Andrew W.K., do it. You will dance it/mosh it out! My only complaint is that a lot of the songs sound a bit the same, but if I was drunk I probably wouldn't have noticed.

The night was capped off by the most wonderful discovery of all: there is now a Boustan on St. Catherine's. Try the Kibeh.

I never really listened to rap growing up; I had a hard time relating to the lyrics. In the last two years, however, I have developed an appreciation for the genre, and I owe most of that to Childish Gambino. Although I shared almost none of the experiences described in the lyrics from his 2011 album Camp, I related to the tone, the nerdy Nintendo and cartoon references, and the jazzy R&B music. Most of all, it was Gambino's quick wit that hooked me.

His latest release, Because the Internet, is a statement to say the least. This 19-track album stands beside a short film entitled Clapping for the Wrong Reasons, and a separate 75-page screenplay that was designed to sync with the music. The playful tone of his debut album was replaced by a more mature, artistic, and serious sound that incorporates different musical styles including psychedelic, hard rock, dubstep, and even minimalist music. It's easy to see that his new songs, like "The Worst Guys" (featuring Chance the Rapper) for example, are departures from his older work toward his new artistic vision.  

The tour associated with Because the Internet is no less ambitious than the rest of his work. Before the show at Metropolis, concert-goers could download an app that let them tweet or draw things that would appear on a big screen on stage. It doesn't take much to guess how that went: mostly jokes about the NBC show Community (on which Gambino plays the Troy Barnes character), quotes of his lyrics, and miscellaneous obscenities. After a short DJ set, Gambino took the stage by storm.

The show opened with the whole stage covered in projections of glitchy schematics and computer graphics that finally settled into what resembled the interior of a fancy mansion. Clad in his short shorts, Gambino jumped into his set with full force and passion. He danced, ran, rapped, and sang all over the stage and maintained that intensity throughout the show. He was there to share his art, and we could feel it. The audience sang along with every track, beginning to end, which seemed to fuel the performance and put a massive grin on Gambino's face.

He played most of his new album before thanking everyone and leaving the stage. When he came back for the encore, the projections of the room suddenly changed into that of a bonfire in a forest, and so did the tone of the show. Gabino played reworked versions of songs from Camp, including "Heartbeat", complete with slap-bass and mixes of several songs together. He finished with a freestyle rap over some really interesting jazz chords that ended the concert and proved that his talent as a rapper and musician was the centrepiece of the show, and all the frills and projections were just a bonus.

In town April 8th @ Sala Rossa opening for La Dispute, Seatttle via Louisville band Mansions has always been a Sonics favourite ever since I was asked to cook up some radio edits for their debut full length New Best Friends. We'll be re-airing an old interview that was done with Christopher Browder, the man behind the songs, that was done around the time he was supporting their sophomore album Dig Up the Dead. Mansions is currently supporting their latest release, and one of my favourite records of 2013, Doom Loop.

Tune in to Hooked on Sonics TONIGHT at 6pm, if you want people to think you are rad.

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.