A local venue spot in Newmarket Ontario, The Grey Goat Pub and Grill held The Holiday Hangover end-of-the-year show. The Grey Goat may be a smaller venue, but it held space for a lot of people on December 29th, 2018.
With a great lineup of emerging Ontario bands and a room packed full of friends and familiar faces, I knew this show would be one hell of a night. Most everyone in attendance was still recovering from holiday food babies and had to work on New Years or the morning after, so there was no holding back in any aspect that night.
So Long, Shoreline started the night off with some Progressive / Experimental Hardcore and after seeing them a few times live, I can honestly see a serious rise in their confidence while performing. Their music is very interesting; they played their final set as an instrumental band and received great feedback after. With only minor technical difficulties at the beginning, So Long, Shoreline hyped the crowd for the night to come.
Being biased for a moment, this is a band of my little brothers, one of them actually being biological (hah). So to be able to finally cover them among so many other fantastic bands and artists that are posted on this site, makes me proud! So Long, Shoreline has changes to their band and some other exciting news that they will be announcing to the public soon, so keep up with their Facebook.
Wind Cries Mary played next and took up every inch of that tiny stage space. Being a fan of this band, I've seen them a few times and covered them back in November sharing the stage with Born Of Osiris. While this venue may have been much smaller in comparison, they performed like it was a larger show.
The energy was absolutely contagious and within minutes a pit was formed that lasted the rest of the night. Wind Cries Mary puts on an incredible set whenever they play and The Holiday Hangover was no different. More images here and video clip here.
Chainfall followed soon after and introduced their new bassist who rocked out in a kilt. I had seen this band only once before and the insanity they produced in the pit that time had me looking forward to seeing them again.
Their sound is a little different compared to the other bands that played that night, but they stand out with their uniqueness and friendly, silly attitudes on stage. Making waves in the local scene, Chainfall has been earning some pretty cool opportunities recently, so make sure to follow their Facebook page for future updates!
The Northern was next to play after a small break for a basic set change. Just like Wind Cries Mary, I covered them sharing the stage back in November. The people in the pit may have been getting a little silly during the previous sets, but the moment The Northern started playing, everyone suddenly crowded much closer to the stage area and went wild. I even got a bruise from being pushed into the pit briefly. #warwounds #worthit
These guys had an interesting and memorable bit where they had Rob, the bassist from Throne To The Wolves, join them for guest vocals. Each song played seemed to amplify the already high energy room and once again, The Northern nailed their set. More images here and video clip here.
Throne To The Wolves headlined the night and with good reason. Not only are they a fantastic headline worthy band, but "Ol' Keswick Rob," the bands bassist had put the entire night together.
It's hard to imagine that Throne To The Wolves is an independent and self-released band when you see them for the first time, because they perform like they've been booking large tours for years. They have the sound, the attitude and the skill that speaks for itself, plus their range of merch is something to gush over; they're just all about the hustle.
The set was crazy from start to finish; I seriously love the expressions these guys give when they perform! It's one thing to be a great musician and play well, but it's a super cool bonus and takes serious skill to give face while still givin' 'er hard. Nobody wanted the night to end and called for an encore, thankfully TTTW are great and agreed, closing the night perfectly.
Overall, this was another great show of growing local bands at the Grey Goat and the best way to kick off into the new year! Here's to 2019 being full of opportunities, new experiences and success.
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