16th January, Street Panther @ L'escogriffe

 It was a cold Friday night. Only option was to get in the car with friends and drive to Montreal. There, lay all hopes of finding twindling and fiddling to do. There'd be no beauties nor druggies outside with the cold weather, only option was to find a venue to scuffle in and drink and fade in the crown. That meant money would be needed, and I had all but money honestly. But nonetheless we went, drove, stopped at Atomic Cafe, gave a guitar back to a friend, bought a Pink Floyd Echoes 1965-2025 Magazine reviewing the band's entire career. I couldn't help but start reading it and sure it inspired more psyched lsd induced ideas to my brain. Possibilities seemed infinite. Thus, an idea came, I could try and bargain a ticket for the gang to go to a show. The show in question I wanted to see was, Sunday Riot Club, Street Panther and The Space Wizards @ L'Escogriffe. My friends Antoine and Jordan seemed unbothered of the uncome, but I was determined to get in, whatever the cost. 

I fell upon Street Panther a couple years back, after Covid, when I worked as an disengaged clerk at Inventory at Solotech where Alex, the drummer of the band and their former lead guitarist Felix Brisson used to work too. I worked closely with Alex as we were in the same department and Felix worked in the light department. Over lunch hours, they would appear in the jam room or I'd be working out or running with Alex. Laughters, exhaustion and much needed imbecileries were foundly shared between the drummer and I as we clocked in every morning. Later on, Steet Panther created their own label Street Panther Records, allowing them to release their much appreciated album Muscle Rock which embraced the heavy hitting rock thumping ACDC like sound. Zack the singer and rythm guitarist fully embraces the Bon Scott growls and high pitched voice while Alex the drummer keeps the band on time. Their bassist Hugo Chartrand handles the bass extremly well, accentuating the rythm guitars and glidding gracefully during solo's. By the time Felix left the band, a certain Malvyn took over duties for a while. For now, they remain a three piece band. Over the years, they've had the chance to play at Project45 skatepark, Montreal's Meta Attack, they played alongside Beton Armé, Puffer, they've played at Foufounes Électrique and more. Alien Snatch Records embraced Muscle Rock and sold 100 copies of a orange vinyl and CHOM's iconic Hal Jaques embraced their sound live on the radio announcing their show at L'Escogriffe. 

All to say, the reasons and hype around their show tonight at l'Escogriffe were plentiful. So in we were around 8h30 I believe so. I go and salute my friend Alex and we chat a bit, although I can't hear much due to Sunday Riot Club's loud playing. In short, they played an incredible set for an opener. They set the tone, blending a bit of Floyd's spaciness while remaining very rock and rolling. I ask if my friends can get in, and although the doorman is relunctant, we end up stumbling on a deal and everyone is happy and warm after some hefty convincing. In the bar, many embrace a 60's looks and I can't help  but realise that compared to the punk shows were everyone is dressed all funky and mostly gothic, for once I blend in the crowd. Everyone wears either biker leather fits or hippy looking modlike outfits. The crowd is older than my usual shows, mostly in their 30's. After a while, Street Panther are on stage and ready to rock. They embark on numbers such as, Barbarian, Aggro and Gang War if I'm not mistaken. They played a couple of their Muscle Rock numbers, and we had the chance to hear a new composition. Overall, their performance was quite energetic and hectic. The trio on stage, Alex on drums, Zack on guitar and vocals and Hugo on bass was just fire. Although I have to admit, they pack a bigger punch with a lead guitarist, yet as a trio, they remain very tight and fiery. I must confess, although it is straight forward rock, just like previous acts as the Stones, The Stooges and more, they get the crowd moving, jumping and drooling for more. By the end of their numbers, I felt a thrill. a spark to play and definitely form a band. They were inspiring that's for sure. For any youngsters looking for a good time, thrills and gut wrenching music, Street Panther serve it right. The sound wasn't too loud, yet it remained very aggresive and liberating. 

By the end of their set, the crowd is out of breath and I, under the influence of booze, couldn't contain my excitement. Next up, The Space Wizards. A 60's prog rocking band who cast a oozing soothing music that get's the crowd tranced up! Sadly, I stayed a while but had to leave early mid-set to go attend duties back home. A dog was waiting impatiently to come out and dance in the backyard. For what I saw, the band had all the crowd star-gazing and their sound remained as iconic as the last time I'd seen Space Wizards. Overall, the night was a success. I thank every band, I thank the doorman for allowing us and I thank L'Escogriffe for the night.