Gob Take You Back In Time

Sound Academy

Toronto, ON

on Jan 29 2009

Sheena Lyonnais (CHARTattack)

01/30/2009 4:04pm

Getting ready to check out Gob at Sound Academy's Rail Jam was like a jaunt down memory lane. Gob were a staple in the Canadian punk rock scene when I was growing up, and I've seen them numerous times. Their performances never disappointed and, with a (relatively) new album under their belt, I was curious to see what the past six years have done for them.

The night kicked off with Outspoken, a pop-punk band from Nobleton, Ont., whose set I missed thanks to the Sound Academy's location in the middle of nowhere (as far as Toronto is concerned).

Next up were The Salads, who started their set with an unusual cover of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song. The drummer, who turned out to be Goldfinger's Darrin Pfeiffer, elaborately hit beats while dressed in a fuzzy blonde wig, sunglasses and a yellow baseball jersey.

They moved through their hits from five years ago, some new stuff that sounded like old stuff, and some super-fun covers, including Goldfinger's "Here In Your Bedroom" and a brief rendition of The Who's "Baba O'Riley." These guys have so much energy and presence on stage that I'm surprised they played before The Johnstones.

The Johnstones play a unique brand of ska, punk and rock that I don't entirely get, though the crowd seemed to love 'em. They all wore diapers last time I saw them at Warped Tour, which was funny for about five minutes.

The group thankfully ditched the silly gimmicks this time. But there were choreographed dance routines and a wicked drum solo. Ryan Long is a super-talented drummer, so I enjoyed watching him flip his sticks, stand on the stool and rock his heart out.

The Johnstones also did a wicked cover of The Presidents Of The United States Of America's "Lump." Watching The Johnstones is like crashing a party. There are so many people doing various things that you can't entirely tell what's going on. But, in the end, you're glad you went because it was a lot of fun. (For the record, though, The Salads throw a better party.)

Finally, Gob rushed on stage with incredible energy and conviction. The men of the hour tore through classic hits like "No Regrets," "Give Up The Grudge" and "Oh! Ellen" as well as a bunch of newer stuff, including new single "Banshee Song." From the get-go, the insanely huge crowd couldn't stop chanting "Soda" as if the single Gob released 14 years ago was still the only relevant thing the band have ever done.

Gob's showmanship levels were ramped high all night. Singer Tom Thacker jumped on guitarist Theo Goutzinakis' shoulders, which resulted in Goutzinakis either being hit in the face with a guitar or somehow falling to the stage. He was a little disoriented for a few moments, but got right back into the song without mentioning anything. Gob enthusiastically encouraged people to dance and sing along to "I Hear You Calling" and their version of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black."

Gob's set was actually fairly long, thanks to their decade-plus catalogue. They played a series of lesser-known tracks right after another at one point. It was a quieter part of the performance that slowed things down for a while and gave the band members a chance to catch their breath. It also allowed photographers to capture shots of drummer Gabe Mantle's beautiful three-year-old son, who watched from the side of the stage.

For some reason, there was no encore, which became evident as soon as Sum 41 bassist Jason "Cone" McCaslin took over for Gob's Steven Fairweather and burst into the song everyone had been waiting for: "Soda." While there was a huge uproar from the crowd, their epic ending was shadowed by decreased microphone volumes. That didn't stop the moshing, but made it harder to hear the vocals.

The show proved that even though they haven't consistently released new material for many years, Gob still put on a killer show that's just as good as when I saw them back in high school.