Date: July 19, 2008
Venue: The Tranzac

The Tranzac open house was a show I’d been looking forward to for quite some time.  Not only did it feature WHK stalwarts and one of my favourite live bands, The Burning Hell, but it also saw The Fembots taking to the stage—something that hasn’t happened for a while in Hogtown. Add to that two other rooms full of a rotating cast of acts that included the likes of Jenny Omnichord and Tusks and it was obvious that this was going to be a event worth attending.

All told, it didn’t disappoint, though I was a bit surprised that more people didn’t come out. I suppose it could have simply been  a case of the large main room making the crowd look smaller than it actually was, as the other rooms were consistently full.  Granted, ample space in from the of the stage just made it easier for a handful of people to dance during The Burning Hell’s set (check out “Last Will and Testament” as filmed for Zunior.tv here).

As for The Fembots, they were clearly men on a mission, as banter was kept to a minimum to allow for a lengthy set that intermingled songs from their previous 3 releases with brand new material.  In fact, turns out that Weewerk Records will be releasing their upcomng album, Calling Out,  on Sept. 16. This is great news if you ask me, as I was a big fan of their past output, especially 2003’s Small Town Murder Scene.

In the meantime, here are The Fembots performing “Broken and Blue” live at the Tranzac:

The Fembots - Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist

The Fembots will be back in the fall (at the Music Gallery, but the date escapes me) and The Burning Hell’s next Toronto date is Aug 15. at Rancho Relaxo.