This isn't from the show last night but it still KICKS ASS.Let me get this out of the way early: The Aquabats are my favourite band. Ever. I listen to a pretty large amount of music, and picking a SINGLE favourite band is pretty difficult; but after much deliberation, I don't think I can honestly say that any other band has had the lasting impact on me that The Aquabats have. I've been listening to these guys for roughly 5 or 6 years now, and while I definitely go through alternating 'listening'/'not listening' phases with them, they are a band that I always have, and most probably always will, go back to.
For the uninitiated, The Aquabats used to be a ska band coming out of Orange County, California, a scene that had a huge part in reviving ska music in the early 90s (third-wave ska got especially popular around 1996, as bands like Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones started getting featured in MTV movies). The Aquabats had a flair of their own though; they dressed up in superhero costumes, took on goofy personae (such as Crash McLarson and MC Bat Commander), and played music that was over-the-top, quirky as hell, and often an outright parody of the music that surrounded them. Over time, the Aquabats gradually became less horn-driven and ska-y. Eventually, their horn players left the band (except for the sax player, as he doubles as a keyboard player); instead of finding new members though, the Aquabats just decided to revamp their sound. So now The Aquabats play a sort of Devo-y punk/new wave kind of thing, which happens to be marvelous (check out their album Charge! It rules! I'll be writing a post about it eventually).
I got to the show late and missed the first opener, Prince Perry, but he plays some pretty basic roots reggae music. Nothing too special. Keepin' 6 were their usual "meh"; they always seem to me like a less intense Heatskores. Again, nothing to write home about.
Luckily, The Aquabats brought their usual wit and charm to the stage and delivered a kickass performance. That being said, the first time I saw them (about 5 years ago at The Reverb, which was the last time they came to Toronto), was better. This is probably due to lack of label support that The Aquabats have at the moment after being dropped from their record label last year. It was extremely noticable, and did affect the show; merch wasn't too varied, and they ran out of basic sizes very quickly (and everything was more expensive than last time too). Most notably though, the set was WAY too short for a headliner; it clocked in at about an hour. This is fine for a local band, but for The Aquabats? Really?
The problem with such a short set is that it meant that the band had to stick to their more well-known, concert-ready songs. Here was the setlist as I remember it (not in order).
CD Repo Man
Super Rad
Awesome Forces
Fashion Zombies
Nerd Alert
Look At Me, (I'm a Winner)
The Cat with Two Heads
Pizza Day
Pool Party
Lovers of Loving Love
Tiger Rider vs. The Time Sprinkler
Martian Girl
So as you can see, choice cuts from Charge! and their more successful tunes (anecdote in regards to that: some asshole standing next to me kept yelling for them to play Super Rad; they did eventually of course, but what the fuck? If he only wanted to hear that song, he should of just stayed home and listened to it instead of coming to the show and being a dick....and then decapitated himself with a dull razorblade. Just sayin'). The problem with this, besides the lack of any really COOL inclusions (though it's nice to hear Cat with Two heads again, and it was neat of them to pull out CD Repo Man), was that some of the Aquabats show staples, i.e. monster battle royales, were supremely cut back; usually there are two monster fights, and there's some sort of plotline-esque thing going on throughout the show. We got one fight, and no reference to it afterwards.
Anyways, I'm nitpicking here; the fact of the matter is that it was a great, energetic show, filled with the same offbeat, family-friendly humour The Aquabats are known for. I laughed out loud numerous times, and few bands connect to their audience like The Aquabats, what with the MC Bat Commander always getting the audience to sing, giving constant high fives, and just generally being an awesome dude. Seriously, when I brought my camera to the last show, he actually posed on-stage just so I could get a picture! Totally sweet dude.
I hope this review wasn't too negative sounding; if you get the chance, go see The Aquabats, even if you don't like/know them. I promise, you won't be disappointed. It's just a shame that their current record label situation is what it is. Let's find a new one and release that new album already, boys! You can do it!
The Aquabats Rules!
-Daniel
For the uninitiated, The Aquabats used to be a ska band coming out of Orange County, California, a scene that had a huge part in reviving ska music in the early 90s (third-wave ska got especially popular around 1996, as bands like Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones started getting featured in MTV movies). The Aquabats had a flair of their own though; they dressed up in superhero costumes, took on goofy personae (such as Crash McLarson and MC Bat Commander), and played music that was over-the-top, quirky as hell, and often an outright parody of the music that surrounded them. Over time, the Aquabats gradually became less horn-driven and ska-y. Eventually, their horn players left the band (except for the sax player, as he doubles as a keyboard player); instead of finding new members though, the Aquabats just decided to revamp their sound. So now The Aquabats play a sort of Devo-y punk/new wave kind of thing, which happens to be marvelous (check out their album Charge! It rules! I'll be writing a post about it eventually).
I got to the show late and missed the first opener, Prince Perry, but he plays some pretty basic roots reggae music. Nothing too special. Keepin' 6 were their usual "meh"; they always seem to me like a less intense Heatskores. Again, nothing to write home about.
Luckily, The Aquabats brought their usual wit and charm to the stage and delivered a kickass performance. That being said, the first time I saw them (about 5 years ago at The Reverb, which was the last time they came to Toronto), was better. This is probably due to lack of label support that The Aquabats have at the moment after being dropped from their record label last year. It was extremely noticable, and did affect the show; merch wasn't too varied, and they ran out of basic sizes very quickly (and everything was more expensive than last time too). Most notably though, the set was WAY too short for a headliner; it clocked in at about an hour. This is fine for a local band, but for The Aquabats? Really?
The problem with such a short set is that it meant that the band had to stick to their more well-known, concert-ready songs. Here was the setlist as I remember it (not in order).
CD Repo Man
Super Rad
Awesome Forces
Fashion Zombies
Nerd Alert
Look At Me, (I'm a Winner)
The Cat with Two Heads
Pizza Day
Pool Party
Lovers of Loving Love
Tiger Rider vs. The Time Sprinkler
Martian Girl
So as you can see, choice cuts from Charge! and their more successful tunes (anecdote in regards to that: some asshole standing next to me kept yelling for them to play Super Rad; they did eventually of course, but what the fuck? If he only wanted to hear that song, he should of just stayed home and listened to it instead of coming to the show and being a dick....and then decapitated himself with a dull razorblade. Just sayin'). The problem with this, besides the lack of any really COOL inclusions (though it's nice to hear Cat with Two heads again, and it was neat of them to pull out CD Repo Man), was that some of the Aquabats show staples, i.e. monster battle royales, were supremely cut back; usually there are two monster fights, and there's some sort of plotline-esque thing going on throughout the show. We got one fight, and no reference to it afterwards.
Anyways, I'm nitpicking here; the fact of the matter is that it was a great, energetic show, filled with the same offbeat, family-friendly humour The Aquabats are known for. I laughed out loud numerous times, and few bands connect to their audience like The Aquabats, what with the MC Bat Commander always getting the audience to sing, giving constant high fives, and just generally being an awesome dude. Seriously, when I brought my camera to the last show, he actually posed on-stage just so I could get a picture! Totally sweet dude.
The picture in question.
The Aquabats Rules!
-Daniel
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