[ATTENDED: January 20, 2023] THE OBGMs
I was really excited for the show–the Melanated Punk Mini Tour featuring Oxymorrons and The OBGMs (who I didn’t know but after listening to them, I realized how good they were. At the last minute, Pinkshift was added to the bill, which made things even better!
The show was listed as starting at 7:30 (which on a Friday night usually means a lot of traffic). Bu then Pinkshift said the fun started at 7, so my son and I left stupidly early to avoid traffic and arrived earlier than ever only to find out that the show did not start at 7.
And that’s fine. It’s nice to be early. Also, that Pinkshift wasn’t the first band.
The OBGMs (The oOohh Baby Gimme Mores) are from Toronto. They came out and proceeded to tear the roof off of the place.
After playing a weird riff that sounded like a wild version of Black Sabbath, the whole band started bashing out “Cash” from their new album The Ends.
Dreadlocked lead singer Densil McFarlane also played guitar as he pogoed and screamed the lyrics.
My son and I deliberately chose to stand at the side of the stage because we thought it would be a big moshig scene and neither of us were quite in the mood. It turned out to not be a moshing scene, but we loved being that close and seeing so well (even if the sound was less than perfect on the side like that). So, yes, it was heard to hear the words, but the energy was palpable.
In the back, drummer Colanthony Humphrey absolutely destroyed on the kit and and way off to the side, bassist Joseph Brosnan kept thing low and fast. We were right in front of their new (temporary?) lead guitarist who wa pretty amazing and whose name I never got.
Bronsan and Humphrey were essential while McFarlane talked with the crowd. Which he did a lot. In fact, the band’s songs are pretty short, but they only played about 7 songs because Densil was interacting with the crowd so much.
Usually the rhythm section would keep the beat while McFarlane got everyone hyped up. The first time, the rhythm led to “Outsah” another song from The Ends.
Then McFarlane picked up his guitar again and they rocked into House, one of their older songs–playing guitar in no way slows him down.
He said the crowd was too still, so he climbed over the fence and had everyone move to the right and then move to the left. He separated everyone and on the count of three had them all crash join on him in a mosh pit. He even had everyone back away from the fence and then rush the fence on three. I’ve never seen anyone take advantage of the space afforded an opening act so much. It was fantastic. Even as we were off to the side just enjoying it.
“All of My Friends” had a really catchy guitar riff. They followed this one up with what I think is a new song.
And then when he said they only had two songs left, he corrected himself to say they had three. The first one was called “I’m So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad” and it was all of two seconds long. It turns out that it is a cover ofa song by Crash and the Boys. When I looked up this band, I found out that they are the band from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which is just hilarious.
Also hilarious was that Densil kept referring to themselves as a Nickelback cover band (and even sang a few lines from a song before saying “seriously” as they launched into the pounding “Triggered.” Densil was right in the front by the audience, grabbing everyone’s phones and singing selfies into them. I do wish he’d done that with ours, but we were a little off to the side–although I do have a funny video of him doing that with other peoples phones.
They ended the set with “Ijustwannaluvuallthetime” from their 2017 album. It was a fantastic and exciting ending to the set.
The OBGMs asked if they came back if we would come to see them. My answer was yes, in a second.
After the show I talked to the guys while buying merch and they were super nice as well. You gotta love that.
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Cash €
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Outsah €
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House ⊕
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All My Friends €
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unknown
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I’m So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad (Crash and the Boys cover)
- Triggered
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Ijustwannaluvuallthetime ⊕
⊕ The OBGMs (2017)
€ The Ends (2020)
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