Violent Femmes played a hits-packed Halloween show at MTelus (photos)

Violent Femmes
MTelus
October 31, 2018

Four years after their last Montreal show at the same venue, Wisconsin folk-punk heroes Violent Femmes returned to MTelus on Halloween night for a hits-packed set that was essentially one long, cathartic singalong from the 2000-plus fans in the room.

Whether you caught the band on the wave of success following their beloved 1983 debut LP, or years later when “Blister in the Sun” played such a pivotal role on My So-Called Life, the band’s deceptively simple songs have been striking an emotional chord with fans for nearly four decades now.

In front of a sold-out boisterous (read: drunk) crowd, the band, featuring the inimitable vocalist / guitarist Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie and drummer John Sparrow, along with a small brass section, got right to business, busting out “Blister in the Sun” and “Kiss Off,” back-to-back within the first 20-minutes of their career-spanning set.

For any other band dashing off such huge songs that early in the set would send fans scrambling for the bar (or the exit), but the Femmes have so many other songs that are equally beloved from fans — anything they played from their debut elicited huge cheers and massive singalongs from the mostly middle-aged crowd, though the biggest thrill of the night might have been when they pulled out fan-favourite “American Music” in the encore, setting off a mini pogo pit when the song kicks in after its soft opening.

While the band’s biggest hits are decades in the past, somehow the night never felt like a nostalgic run-through — certain songs manage to cut across generations, and Violent Femmes have a handful of songs that instantly transport you back to your adolescence, regardless of which decade that might have been in.

Below you can check out photos from the night, including opener Your Smith (who played double duty by also playing in the Femmes horn section), along with the Femmes’ on-stage BBQ (?!) courtesy of Eva Blue. For all upcoming tour dates visit Violent Femmes on the web.

Violent Femmes