[ATTENDED: March 16, 2023] Versus
Back in the 90s, I loved a whole bunch of band that I discovered from a compilation called Ear of the Dragon. I had known some of the bands already (which is why I bought the compilation). It featured bands like The Dambuilders, aMiniature, Seam and Versus.
I loved everything about Versus. Their sound was interesting–catchy and dissonant alternately. And I loved the vocals of Richard Baluyut and Fontaine Toups (who has the best name in music). They put out a number of albums and EPs in the 1990s and t hen went dormant.
In 2010 they put out a new album that I missed entirely. Same with their 2019 release (which is on a label I’ve never heard of). I basically had assumed that they were broken up for good.
So imagine my surprise to see that they were opening for Unwound on the night that I happened to get a ticket. (TEKE::TEKE from Montreal opened the first night–I hadn’t heard of them but they are a Japanese psych rock band, hmmm).
The band came out on stage and while I recognized Richard and Fontaine, I didn’t know the other two. They weren’t introduced, but I think they were the rest of the Baluyut family: James on guitar and Edward on drums.
They opened with Mummified, a track off their newest album that has a really long instrumental opening. I didn’t know it, but the band sounded great. And after two minutes when Richard started singing, he sounded great too. But it was when Fontaine added her vocals that everything came flooding back why I loved this band so much. (more…)
