Toronto – As I walked into The Horseshoe Tavern for Male Bonding’s Friday night show, I immediately noticed that Dinosaur Jr. was playing over the PA. This was notable for a couple of reasons – for one thing, Dinosaur Jr. is a great band. But it was also notable because the London band’s latest album Endless Now was recorded in the same studio and with the same producer as Dino Jr’s Where You Been. This probably isn’t just a coincidence as Male Bonding’s noisy punk stylings sound like they could have come from some time in the early to mid ’90s.
Also drawing on the musical past were openers Love Inks in the form of a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On.” I’ll admit that they didn’t quite capture my attention during their brief set, but what I did hear sounded alright. The headliners sounded quite good as well, but there was a bit of a sameyness to their performance. Sure, fast paced, grungy, poppy punk songs sound good, but I wouldn’t mind a bit more variation in tone or tempo. Still, I knew what to expect going in and I got exactly what I expected from the band. The band showcased songs from their latest album as well as their debut and also showed off a bit of a self-deprecating sense of humour. “This place is legendary, in case you didn’t know,” said bassist Kevin Hendrick before mentioning a few of the legendary bands that had played there. “Rolling Stones? Talking Heads? Strokes? Then we came and f*cked it all up.” The band also claimed that they were “offically not punk anymore” when they came back for an encore. It’s true, encores may not be very punk, but sometimes you’ve gotta give the people what they want.