Gothic Sludge, Punk Chaos, Alt Nostalgia and Intergalactic Gore at MacHall

If you think a night of music that included gothic sludge, a punk band with almost two decades of history, and an alternative metal band that formed in the late nineties would make for an amazing experience, you’d be right. Now throw in GWAR, the costumed carnage machine that blurs the line between concert and horror theatre, and you’ve got a lineup for the ages.

The openers for the night were New York’s Blood Vulture, the gothic sludge I mentioned in the opening. Hitting the stage at 7:00 p.m., their set was everything you’d expect from a band that plays music with themes around vampires, despair, and transformation. While the shortest set of the night, it was also the one I was most looking forward to of all the openers. If you love sludge, you already have a feel for what this band sounded like: low, slow, with a touch of dirty fuzz thrown in. If you’re not going to get the chance to see them play live on this tour, at least go check out their recently released album Die Close. I had the chance to have a quick chat at the merch table with Jordan (Olde), the man behind this project. Like the socially awkward, middle-aged fool who still feels like he’s talking to huge celebrities, I could only spout inept “great set” compliments. I was thoroughly impressed with the merch for this band though. Having a shirt that was made specifically for the Calgary show was impressive. While I would have loved to grab one of the Bret “The Hitman” Hart-inspired tees, I just couldn’t do more than one shirt per band, and the killer-looking long sleeve won this time.

Next up was The Dwarves. These 80s punk rockers are a reminder that punk’s raw heart still beats strong decades after its supposed demise. A constant across their work, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll aren’t clichés for The Dwarves, they’re the entire aesthetic. You’ll hear themes of hedonism, decadence, and reckless self-destruction, all delivered with tongue-in-cheek bravado. Their fans will tell you they invented rock and roll¹, and after seeing them live, I just might agree, forgetting any music history I’ve learned. With their faces painted in clown makeup, they hit the stage promptly at 7:40. Their high-energy show got the crowd pumped and mentally primed for the debauchery that would occur later. You could instantly tell, while I have no history with this band being a vehement Metal Head, the crowd was filled with fans who knew the songs and were ready to sing along at the top of their lungs.

Fans of 90s alternative metal were not left out in the openers, being treated to a full set by Helmet. While there was a little action in the pit during the first two opening acts, Helmet brought the crowd surfers and energy into full force. The nearly hour-long set included some deep cuts reaching back to their debut album Strap It On, as well as tracks from nearly every album of their 32-year career, no small feat. While I know that GWAR were the big attraction for the night, I feel that just as many people were in attendance to take a trip back to when they first got into or first saw Helmet. I never expected crowd surfing and that level of chaos during a Helmet set.

If you’re new to GWAR, never been to a show, welcome to my world. While I was introduced to their music in my teens, I never became a fan of their sound or stage show. I was chatting with someone at the show that mentioned GWAR has played Calgary 17 times, not sure how I let this happen without attending a single one? Now I’m wishing someone had kicked my ass all the way to a show when I was younger. It’s one thing to get the opportunity to shoot a show like this, but packing expensive gear into a photo pit thinking you’re about to be covered in fake blood and other alien excretions, it would have been nice for my first GWAR experience to be from the front row as a fan. That said, this was every bit the outrageous pageantry I was expecting. From neck growths spewing pus to anal canons shooting blood all over raging fans, I was definitely not let down by the expectations that were set by those I spoke with about what a GWAR show would be like. While the show was about the music and the costumes and over-the-top gore, guts, and comedy, there were still some political views shared, something many will say should be left out of Metal shows. I staunchly disagree. In the times we’re living, those with a voice need to start speaking up, and during the second-to-last song of the night, the waving of the American flag upside down was one simple stand against the current political state of America.

Something that stood out for me was the toned-down lighting and production for the opening acts. I’m not sure if this was a production decision made by GWAR or just happenstance in how the opening acts prefer to play, but I feel like it was a really good choice. With the amount of theatrics, costuming, and other dramatic elements from the headliners, having a pared-down setup for the openers ensured the night didn’t become too over the top from a production standpoint, which could have easily been overwhelming.

Another phenomenal night of live music at MacHall. Whether you were there for the vampire goth sludge, the continuing punk movement, the 90s alternative, or to be soaked in various bodily fluids by an intergalactic horror show, you came out of this one fully appeased.

¹ – a comment in a Reddit post by user t_whocannotbenamed I found humorous.