METZ Night 2 At the Palomino Smokehouse with Window Lamp and Sunglaciers
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) l METZ
Ottawa punk and noise-rock trio, METZ played two intimate shows at Palomino Smokehouse before heading out to Siksika Nation for Momentsfest. I had the pleasure of seeing Metz play night two of their stint in Calgary alongside local post-punk bands Window Lamp and Sunglaciers.
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) l Window Lamp
Kicking off the night was the garage-rock, post-punk, jangle corporation of Window Lamp. To be honest, prior to attending the show, I had very little knowledge of Window Lamp and their discography. Usually when I attend a show, there’s always one or two bands that I don’t know much about, but it gives me the opportunity to listen to their set with a fresh set of ears with no biases. Window Lamp could be described as the love-child of Courtney Barnett and Crumb. They have the singer-songwriter energy of Courtney Barnett and the incredible instrumental build-up that Crumb has. Vocalist/guitarist Haley Gunn did have to restart a song due to slowly losing her voice near the end of the set, but that didn’t stop her from keeping the energy up and fell nicely in line with their punk rock ethos. Window Lamp is a fun band to see live because even if you're unfamiliar with their discography just like I was, they’re stylish and have an incredible stage presence that led them to gain a new fan that night (like myself) and many others.
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) l Sunglaciers
Following Window Lamp was post-punk quartet, Sunglaciers. For a band I have an extreme fondness for, this was the first time I’ve seen the entire band play together live. Sunglaciers is one of the bands where their music is great and their live shows do not disappoint. Lights are a huge part of Sunglaciers’ live show so if you don’t do flashing lights that are timed well with songs, I fear you may be at the wrong show. If I could steal something from Sunglaciers, it would be the lights show that accompanies their set. It increases their aura levels tenfold. Playing tracks from their March 2024 release, Regular Nature, they kicked off their set by playing “Not Ready” and transitioned into my favourite song off of this release, “Kafka.” I first saw Sunglaciers live with only Evan Resnik and Mathieu Blanchard and although the energy was high at that show, it’s a completely different sight when you have bassist Kyle Crough and synth-master, guitarist and vocalist, Nyssa Brown. Evan and Nyssa feed off each other’s instrumentation, from Kyle hitting the MIDI Drum Pad during “Undermine” to hearing Nyssa’s angelic voice during ‘Cursed,”. It is safe to say that it was a treat to see the entire band perform together.
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) l Metz
With the energy brewing from previous bands, the packed Palomino basement roared once METZ stepped foot onto the stage. Metz was playing their second show at Palomino Smokehouse before making their way eastwards to headline Momentsfest at Siksika Nation. With their recent release Up On Gravity Hill under their belts, they kicked off their set by playing “No Reservation / Love Comes Crashing” off of Up On Gravity Hill. Their set was the perfect mesh of old and new— playing tracks off of their self-titled release from 2012 such as “Get Off” and “Headache.” With a show so intimate as the ones in the Palomino basement, the passion radiates from the fans. Music brings people together and that’s exactly what was going on in the Palomino basement. From watching people dancing and moshing to tracks to the furiosity people had while belting lyrics to their favourite METZ songs, it was visible the band made an impact on the crowd. There was an innate feeling of community felt throughout the show, with a range of ages coming together to enjoy the likes of Alex Edkins, Chris Slorach and Hayden Menzies. The Palomino basement sonically transformed the lives of many people that evening for new fans, and was a nostalgic experience for long time listener’s. Seeing METZ live remains as one of my favourite shows I’ve seen live thus far.
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder) l Metz