Jet @ The Mod Club

Jet @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Unfortunately I hadn't seen Jet live since their Live 8 performance in Barrie just about four years ago. At the time they were still feeling the success of their release "Get Born". The set was short but they really gave the crowd a good kick in the but to help infuse some much needed rock n roll into the lineup. I was glad to get a chance to get to see them again. The fact that it was a club show at the Mod Club made it even sweeter. What can you say about Jet. You don't say much you just listen and have fun and rock out a bit.


Jet @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

This time around the Aussie rockers were in Toronto before the upcoming release of their third studio album "Shaka Rock". Jet played through their set including the latest songs "K.I.A", "She's A Genius". The band seemed to be having a really good time that night. Hey you should feel good on your birthday. Even more so when you have a crowd in front of you. Yep,Front man Nic Cester was celebrating his 30th that night with the mod club crowd and was quite amusing as he kept reminding the crowd. Jet continued to play other favourites "Put your money where your mouth is","Are you gonna be my girl", and finished of with electrifying "Cold Hard Bitch". The crowd was very responsive to the bands energy and Nic got a celebratory drink from a fan on stage. A shout out from drummer Chris Cester also went out to three fans who snuck in at sound check. Overall good fun.


Jet @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Birthday Massacre, A Primitive Evolution @ Mod Club

The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Toronto goth band The Birthday Massacre finished off their tour with a fantastic show Sunday night at the Mod Club.


The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The sextet thrilled the crowd with songs mainly off of their last album "Walking with Strangers" with a sprinkling of songs from their previous releases "Violet" and "Nothing and Nowhere". TBM successfully balances dark synth swirls with hard heavy guitar sounds of hardcore metal bands. Their live show is also a great balance of high energy (nobody stays still) and great audience interaction. The mod club made the perfect setting for lead singer Chibi who makes it a point to meet her adoring fans up close multiple times during the set.

The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Birthday Massacre definitely came out to rock starting out the night with fan favourite "Red Stars". They played a solid set including a cover of Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone". They were a lot of fun to watch and even more fun to photograph. Check out their site: http://www.thebirthdaymassacre.com


The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The Birthday Massacre @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

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A Primitive Evolution:

A Primitive Evolution @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


A Primitive Evolution @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Also on the bill were Toronto's A Primitive Evolution, A.P.E. for short, and in short this band just rocked my face off. I knew going in that I was going to like them, but they completely surpassed my expectations. Hard rocking guitars all they way blended with great expressive vocals, upbeat tempos and rockin' female bass player.
This is a band I can't wait to here more from and see again... hopefully very soon. I still can't stop playing their "Beyond True" mix that can be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/aprimitiveevolution.


A Primitive Evolution @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

A Primitive Evolution @ Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

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Photographers Notes:
I Shot most of this show with my wide angle Canon EF-S 10-22mm. Knowing this lens isn't ideal in low light conditions I took advantage of the fact that I did not receive any flash restrictions and decided to use my 580ex ii on top of my 40D to add some fill.

The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club

The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

The first time I had heard of The Airborne Toxic Event was last summer before the Virgin Festival in Toronto. On the strength of some of the songs I heard on their myspace page I marked them down as a band to see. Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch their set. Since then I've noticed the band getting quite a bit of publicity. From a horrible album review in Pitchfork to a great performance on Letterman. I was quite eager to see them live to see the real deal.
The Airborne Toxic Event played at the Mod Club in Toronto after having sold out the El Mocambo. The band which consists of singer and guitarist Mikel Jollett, guitarist and keyboardist Steven Chen, bassist Noah Harmon, drummer Daren Taylor, and keyboardist and violist Anna Bulbrook took to the stage playing songs from their debut cd including Wishing Well, Papillion, and Gasoline.


The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Though it was evident that the bands singer Mikel was not feeling well the band continued much to the delight of the fans at the Mod Club who were fully engaged by the time the band got to playing Happiness is Overrated.
A big part of this band's sound is the violin played by Anna Bulbrook. A sound which led the band into their performance of Sometime Around Midnight (their current hit). The band finished this part of their set with Innocence which featured most band members jumping off of speakers onto the stage including the violinist.
Unfortunately I had to make my way out as the band got into their encore which started with Does This Mean You're moving on ? The answer for me was yes... but hopefully not for long. Although I do hear quite a few strong influences (as suggested by the Pitchfork review) when listening to the bands songs I still can't stop myself from playing them my on iPod. Their album in my opinion is really really good, their live show is even better. I'll be sure to catch them the next time they are in Toronto.


The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club
Originally uploaded by vasquezr