Originally Published December 2022
Written by Vincent Oz
Photo Credit: Vicnent Oz
I don’t know how they do things where you’re from, but in my neck of the woods (or at least back when I used to live there) we would hold a venue wherever we could. Being in the country, these were hard to find sometimes. Sure, there were some bars and hole-in-the-wall places, but the good ones were the odd ones. The sheds, garages, old churches, run down boat houses, buildings that should have been abandoned (if they weren't already), tiny places fit for maybe 30 people and we would jam 50 in there.
Bodies.
Bodies, everywhere.
Bodies on the floor, bodies on chairs, bodies on rafters, bodies on bodies, bodies on the band, bodies mashed into the walls.
I swear I once saw a body on the ceiling.
My favourite of these shows was of course my first. A punk show in some old church that was in a parking lot much too big for it. I moshed, I got punched (accidently, it’s okay), one of the singers lost a shoe, I skanked (a type of dancing) with a girl I liked… but most importantly I saw The Suits play their last ever show. I bought a CD from the singer (whose name escapes me), it was one of those handmade numbers. They bought one of those 50 stacks of writable CD’s and just hand wrote their name on every sleeve. That night changed me into the person I am. A core memory, as the kids say.
I’m trying to build an atmosphere. Is it working?
If you want to grab a taste on what it was like, just in case you missed out, I suggest going to a house show. But, if you can’t do that, go to the ANAF when a rock band is playing. It suits the setting. It’s small, loud and personal. Perfect.
A perfect band to see there is Slouch, they complete the feng-shui.
Mixing elements of punk and shoegaze in their new album (which they just had the release for on November 12th at the ANAF) Slouch has made one hell of a rocking record. With its driving and bopping bass, non-stop drums, and a grungy guitar paired with a voice that is all at once sweet and melodic yet also writhes with an exasperated sadness. Harmonies paired with backing vocals will make any pop-punk or even a Beach Boys fan pleased (on tracks like Upper Hand and Will You). When the summer comes back this album will be the top choice for skating around town. The driving rhythm section, fun slippery solos, distorted popping and angry guitar riffs dead on for rolling around the street. With personal, relatable and best of all fun lyrics that will give you something to think or reminisce about.
Maybe, if you’re lucky, it’ll take you to one of those rockin’ shacks in the middle of some random field. Like it does for me.
If you want to learn more about Slouch, check them out on Spotify or Bandcamp.
@slouchband.rat on instagram