Date: April 12, 2008
Venue: The Silver Dollar

Where were you guys last Saturday night?

Seriously, not nearly enough people came out to see the stellar pairing of The Burning Hell and Wax Mannequin at the Silver Dollar on the weekend.

Sure, I’ve already made my bias towards these two acts quite obvious over the past few months, but let me up the ante with the following: both The Burning Hell and Wax Mannequin are easily in my top 3 bands to see live at the moment, a shortlist completed by The Sunparlour Players.

To be honest, that’s pretty much all I need to say about the show last weekend, as it was simply more evidence of the fact that these are two excellent acts that more people ought to be checking out. Add to that the impassioned and raucous opening set delivered by the one-man sonic-army that is Kettle Black (whose set had all the performers captivated) and I can’t think of a better way to spend $8.

Actually, the Silver Dollar itself has made a great impression on me as well lately, as it’s an excellent place to see some live music. Not to mention that the brightly coloured stage makes it a very fun place for an amateur like myself to attempt some concert photography.

Celebrating the re-stocking of their debut release, Tick Tock, The Burning Hell were as amicable and amusing as ever. It would appear that their recent stint out west has only served to solidify the band’s already enviable chemistry, as these guys keep getting better and better.

The Burning Hell - Little Seagull

As for Wax Mannequin, this was my first opportunity to see him perform solo. Of course, taking to the stage alone is nothing new to the veteran songwriter. In fact, with his commanding stage presence the Hamiltonian phenom could probably have read greeting cards all night and kept me enthralled. I suppose it helps that intensity and conviction radiate from his demeanor as evidently as roses grow from his skin. All told it’s a treat to see Wax Mannequin perform in any capacity.

Wax Mannequin - Tell the Doctor

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Check out both The Burning Hell and Wax Mannequin’s Myspace pages to hear more, or support them by grabbing digital copies of their albums at Zunior.com.