Saturday was Wyrd Fest, a one-day Canadian underground music festival featuring these bands:

Peace

Shearing Pinx

GOBBLE GOBBLE

AHNA

Myelin Sheaths

Moby Dicks

The Famines

Friendo

Grown-Ups

Ex-Boyfriends

Feral Children

Outdoor Miners

Sans Aids

Krang

JAZZ

(poster lifted from Weird Canada)

The venue was the Cosmopolitan Music Society on Gateway Blvd. It was an excellent location for the most part, especially because when I heard that it was on Gateway I was imagining having to pay 30 bucks for a cab ride there and back before I realized it was right off Whyte. Oops.

There were two rooms in the venue, and when one band ended everyone would herd off into the other room just in time for the next band to start. For 6+ hours. Holy shit. I was tired. And sober—which explains the “excellent location for the most part.” No booze sucks and even though everyone else was drinking in the parking lot, I didn’t really want to miss anything OR stand outside in the cold.

But it was worth it.

I don’t think I saw a single disappointing act.

My favorites, by far, were The Famines and Peace. I’m not sure if they were hyped up from the full day of wyrd-ness, or if they’re always that insane live (I’ve seen both before but never like that) but they had massive energy which the crowd fed off of too until everybody in the place was in a fucking frenzy. Raymond of Famines got right in the crowd and moshed and screamed and sweated like mad, and Garrett the drummer even jumped in there for a bit.

And Peace. Ohmygoodness Peace.

The lead singer was wearing pantyhose from the start, no biggie, and halfway through the drummer took his shirt off, and then his pants and boxers, until he was playing completely buck. Well the crowd couldn’t handle that and as if everyone wasn’t psychotic enough already they all started repeat crowdsurfing, rushed the stage, all the girls started sexy dancing behind the band and all the boys took their shirts off….pure madness.