Gilligan’s Island

When the band, Run with the Kittens  hit the stage, Nate Mills declared it was his Birthday and they were going to do a three hour encore. This may or may not go well, because I immediately thought of the Minnow and the Skipper. What kind of three hour tour are we about to embark on.

The opening song was surf music with big waves crashing at your feet. This could turn into a nautical disaster.

We were soon introduced to people in the audience. There was Larry who may or may not be their manager. He declared that their next gig will be on Lake Simcoe. Oh No, more water…

Rock the Boat

As we drifted out to sea, the keyboardist was pulling out some psychedelic swirling sounds. I felt the beginning of motion sickness on this rocking vessel.

They performed a song called “Hijack”. This was filled with hard funk mixed with hot sounds that could give you heat-stroke.   This would truly work on a desert island right on the equator.

I must have been delirious, because at that moment, I could swear the drummer took out a pineapple to shake about.

That didn’t seem to bother Larry, because he was out on the dance floor looking to dance with Rita Mac Neil but instead he was happy to be shaking his new shoelaces about at the musicians. He was throwing them about like a water rescue device.

Kittens got Claws

Have you ever heard of Epic Goth Surf Music? Me neither until I saw the Kittens devastate this kind of music like a cat with their favourite toy and tons of catnip.

Run with the Kittens are a wonderfully confounding band. Their name sounds pretty harmless and you are led to believe they are going to play safe pop music.

This really isn’t the case. This band loves to rock hard with their own distinct sound. There are those special moment that when they are at the height of their power and they can add a splash of humour to the mix. That is when this band shines. This musical style has been seen with other acts over the years with bands like Frank Zappa or Canada’s own Max Webster. They can be a seriously great band with a mission to make you smile.

Residency

If this description is your cup of catnip, you can go and see this band at the Cameron House. They play there every first Thursday of the month there starting at 10pm. Do not go to work the next day kind of night.

One of Blast Toronto’s missions is to uncover the best underground bands out there. We bring them to the surface for you to read about, now it is time to go out and discover new music that you can call your own.

As a side note, when I was at this show, I sat beside two friends who make it out to all these shows and have been doing that for years,

On the other side of me, there was a woman from Finland who comes to Toronto and plans her visits with seeing her favourite Toronto band, Run with the Kittens.

If a woman is prepared to fly half way around the world to see her band, surely you can make it downtown for one night to see what the fuss is all about.  Don’t make me call you Shirley, again.

If you were at this show, I would love to read your experience of what happened. Just add your comments at the bottom of this page. See you around town Toronto.