PISSED JEANS @ HORSESHOE TAVERN: MUSCLING THROUGH

Pissed Jeans unleashed what can only be described as a circus-act-like performance at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto last night. A quiet hum may still be waning this morning after the all-out sound assault brought forth by the Pennsylvanian quartet. So much sound, in fact, that the show, which was poignantly plagued by microphone amp shortages, was ultimately cut short due to similar technical difficulties. This only fueled the angry and frustrated sludge-noise hardcore foursome into an even greater self-destructive and entertaining performance.

The madness began as the band broke into ‘Science Fiction’, which went according to plan, turning the crowd into a frenzy of pumping fists. Also witnessed: flying articles of clothing, eye-level roundhouse kicks and spilled alcohol. The group’s second number, however, went vocal-less as singer Brad Korvette’s microphone shorted - resulting in a fit of rage by the front man. As Korvette walked around stage attempting to find a mic that functioned, he quickly accepted the notion they would have to wait until after the song was completed to fix the problem, to which he picked up his mic monitor and played it as if it was a guitar.

Once the microphone was fixed and everything seemed to be copacetic, the band charged through ‘Fantasy World’, erupting in pandemonium-like behavior from the audience. One onlooker was able to grab hold of a lead pipe running along the ceiling to which he hung himself upside-down, while another pair, sporting V For Vendetta masks ran on stage and began the show-lasting cycle of stage dives.

Mid-set, the band steamrolled through ‘Secret Admirer’, off their second LP (2007’s Hope For Men), which was pleasantly ear-splitting. It was followed by ‘False Jesii Part 2′ from their third and most recent LP, King Of Jeans.

But as the band was playing ‘Fantasy World’, a wedge was thrown into the gears affecting the rest of the set. First, guitarist Bradly Fry’s pedal began acting up, resulting in him dropping his guitar and getting down on his knees to fix it. All the while, frustration began to show as Korvette picked up the guitar and smacked it into the drum set. Not long after, an amp blew and the show seemed to be over. The band semi-destroyed the set: drums hurled across stage and the blown amp reverberated harrowingly across the venue. But the gear was mildly put back together and with the crowd on PJ’s side, the band played one last song, ‘Boring Girls’.

With a slew of problems, Pissed Jeans, with their veteran stage cool, were able to put it together pleasingly. Spearheaded by the undeniably large stage presence of singer, Brad Korvette, PJ muscled through a tough night and gave the crowd something to celebrate - a fantastic time and no sleep due to bleeding ears.

Published by The Music Slut