Ladyhawk Inspire Alcohol Abuse

At this point, any mention of alcohol in conjunction with Vancouver's Ladyhawk is bordering on cliche, but it would seem the association is unavoidable. When a show causes young men to shake up their beer and spray it all over fellow concert-goers, what can it be called, other than "booze-fuelled?"

While the beer might have been put to better use by ingestion, it was clear that the soaking wet, moshing jocks at Ladyhawk's Horseshoe stop were having the fist-pumping time of their lives. The spectator mayhem began with the first note of opening number "I Don't Always Know What You're Saying" and carried through to the end of a set that included a new unnamed song and modern indie classic "The Dugout."

Aside from Black Mountain, there likely isn't another band touring in Canada right now that can pull off multiple 10-minute rock opuses in front of a Toronto crowd without generating anger or boredom. Without apology or consent, Ladyhawk burned through an hour-and-a-half of the most beloved songs from their two discs, often bridging one track into another and rarely stopping to say a word. They didn't need to worry about audience engagement; the audience took care of that itself. It'll be a shame if these guys ever graduate to larger clubs. In these tightly packed, sweaty venues Ladyhawk will eventually turn into legends.

Aesthetically, the coastal foursome couldn't look more like a reincarnation of the classic rock band. Long hair and '70s moustaches aside, many a man must be envious of the girth of singer Duffy Driediger's beard. It's no rival to Ian Blurton's, but it's a force to be reckoned with nonetheless.

Openers the Arkells and Immaculate Machine were their usual fine selves. Garage-rockers Flash Lightnin' warmed up the stage for Ladyhawk with a surprisingly tight classic rock spectacle. These guys could be on the verge of breaking big.