Hamilton, Ontario, Canada-based punk/hard rock band The Dirty Nil are easily one of Ontario’s most kept secrets when it comes to original hard rock with a flare of punk on the inside. Consisting of members Luke Bentham (lead singer/vocals), Ross Miller (bassist) and Kyle Fisher (drummer), this three-piece band has been gearing up on what would be one of their most successful years musically and nationally. By performing as an opening act for one of Canada’s best alternative rock bands, Tokyo Police Club, to headlining their tour for this year, it is quite remarkable how they are performing in the same venue in Toronto that they performed as openers, but now they are strictly performing at that same venue as a headliner. For their Idiot Victory tour, they have brought along upcoming Canadian bands on the rise; London, ON-based band Single Mothers and Brampton, ON-based band Dear-God.
Starting on stage was Dear-God; the Brampton, ON-based band warmed up the stage with some decent tracks for some of the fans to hear and check out. They made sure that the style that they give relates to everyone and that it will give a unique aspect of how they perform, song by song. Their styles and sound originate a lot of similarities between other bands like Rage Against the Machine, Pennywise, The Neighbourhood, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even though I have never heard or checked out this band live before, they caught my interest and they put out a unique set with their hyperactive stage participation and antics. The lead singer of the band was also rapping, verse-to-verse, in a couple of songs, but demonstrates a strong punk sound throughout the rest of his set.
Next on stage was the band Single Mothers, and they conducted their entire set in an appropriate and frivolous matter. Andrew Thomson, the lead singer of the band has so much energy throughout his performance, he did his own conducting with his hands to dictate each verse by verse. The lyrics, vocals, intense stage performance, and stellar energy managed to bring an all-time high and it was even evident throughout their entire performance. The orchestration of every band member shows so much flavour and consistency and the way they performed with their instruments was also dope to hear and see. The fans in the venue started to pack the stage more as The Dirty Nil were about to perform and they were hooked on to Single Mothers like it was nothing. The subject matters that they covered in their set discussed a lot about the housing problem in Toronto, the struggles of paying rent through minimum wage and other fees and much more.
Overall, it was very interesting to hear about these topics and how they can be portrayed live. Thomson talked about the history of the band and how he and one of the other members of the band had single mothers, before his mom and the other bandmate’s dad getting married. They issued a divorce after the dad was caught cheating; the band started when Thomson and the other bandmate met at a clubhouse and decided to practice most of their work through performing the entirety of Green Day’s Dookie album. They actually couldn’t practice Basket Case; several years later, they met again after nine years before the band started, at a bar in London, Ontario and decided to start it. One of the songs they performed, “Leash” is a blend of sounds that have similarities to the likes of Green Day and Pearl Jam. In my opinion, it was one of the best songs that they’ve performed live.
As the moment finally began, The Dirty Nil came up on stage after Single Mothers performance and brought a unique set than no other before. They incorporated a variety of unique sounds and keen aspects to their environment when they were performing. The fans went as crazy as they did, performing every lyric that they performed, crowd surfing in the crowd, and just being themselves and having fun. The band has a unique style to their performance and did the most that they have done to make this performance unique. Both Luke Bentham and Ross Miller had as much fun on stage and brought a multitude of engagements toward the crowd as they performed.
They started performing a variety of tracks off their new and old records, such as “Idiot Victory,” “Bathed in Light,” “No Weaknesses,” “That’s What Heaven Feels Like,” “Zombie Eyed,” and “Always High.”
Bentham’s vocals remind me a lot of certain acts in the Canadian rock industry during their prime when they first started, such as the late Gord Downie (The Tragically Hip), Dallas Green (Alexisonfire/City and Colour), and Geddy Lee (Rush). They tend to perform a unique set of styles for this tour such as indie rock, progressive rock, classic punk, and hard rock. For covers, the band performed a cover of Metallica’s “Hit the Lights,” and Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Miller’s and Fisher’s solos were as engaging it could be and it was very enjoyable to watch and hear. They also debuted a new song called “Hello Jealousy” and it was something that the fans enjoyed so much. For their encore, they performed the Queen cover, as well as two of their original tracks, “Pain of Infinity” and “Fuckin’ Up Young.” The Dirty Nil will continue on their tour until December 13th, 2019 at the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, New York. You can find out more at https://thedirtynil.com/shows
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The Dirty Nil
Single Mothers
Dear-God
By: Joshua Habtwold | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!
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