[DID NOT ATTEND: April 30, 2022] Born Ruffians / Sham Family
I blew off seeing Typhoon so I could see Born Ruffians, a Canadian band that is hard to pin down exactly, except that they make hyperactive poppy punk that is catchy but not super catchy. They’re probably not even going to sell a million records, but they should have a pretty devoted fan base.
The band is a trio–singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, and drummer Steve Hamelin. They put out a trio of albums in 2020/2021 all thematically similar. Juice was my favorite. They have a great set available from The Live at Massey Hall series (see video below).
However, my wife and daughter were out that night and I was home with my son. We started watching Attack on Titan and I decided that I would much rather spend the night with my son than these bands, so I blew off the show and we enjoyed some bonkers anime.
Sham Family is from Toronto and the Toronto Star describes their music as “deconstructionist noise-rock tangle.” The band is new, but all of the members (frontman/guitarist Kory Ross, guitarist Cole Sefton, drummer Zachary Cockburn and bassist Jason Brum) have been in other bands for a a time. They have one EP out.
I like that it works in a lower register than a lot of other bands lately–the singer has a deeper voice, the bass is prominent. I found it really interesting and, with this comment from the band: “That’s kind of our thing: ‘OK, the record’s cool. But wait until you see this live,’” Makes me really want to see them, so I hope they come back again. Maybe even with Born Ruffians.
Leave a Reply