What the NXNE Press Guide said about Pissed Jeans:
Age and a total of four full-lengths haven’t mellowed Pissed Jeans; they can still unleash a blare that will exfoliate your cochlea. Sometimes they sound like that feeling you’d get if you dipped your arm up to the elbow in a vat of boiling grease. Sometimes they slow down and they sound like when you wake up from a nightmare you can’t quite remember. They are also catchy. Not in a simpering, mewling way that your grandmother might appreciate, but in a way that would appeal to mental patients who only understand colours.
Pissed Jeans came on stage and singer Matt Korvette sarcastically let the crowd know:
“We’ve actually changed our name so you might want to update that on your blogs. We’re now known as Virgin Mobile Pissed Jeans.”
Their live shows are something to be admired by other amateur acts at NXNE with the frantic pace of a hardcore show led by Korvette’s flailing arms and menacing stage-pacing. Experienced musicians are appreciated after seeing so many newer bands that can’t necessarily command a stage to that of a band like Pissed Jeans. This made for a crowd that was much more receptive than most shows I attended last week. Korvette’s banter also helped:
“You can’t play in front of a Toronto crowd and lie about your dick size. That’s rule number one.” Whatever that means.
And:
“I’m trying this new thing where you eat a burrito before you play. So far, it’s fucking great.”
Some of the more enthusiastic members of the audience were slamming in front for several songs. They were led by a kid wearing a Misfits jacket with way too much energy.
Pissed Jeans lived up to their reputation as an aggressive, fast-paced and experienced hardcore band.