It was more like a large crash.
Like most ‘ big wrecks’, people are curious. They stop, look , listen and move one. Luckily for the band Big Wreck, the majority of the punters stayed at the Corona Theatre in Montreal Saturday night.
Big fans of the band helped Big Wreck celebrate twenty years since the debut of their first album; In Loving Memory Of. By no means was the gathering a wake.
Commencing with Look What I Found from the debut album – the love affair between audience and band was mutual and energizing. The post – Grunge / Alternative rock band with duel citizenship realistically appreciative of a Canadian audience.
After all, without Canada , Big Wreck may have been hauled off to the junkyard by now.
Listening to That Song , Ill Advice and How Would You Know – the first thing which grabs the guitar strings is bandleader Ian Thornley’s vocal power. Rarely does an artist in Rock possess such depth.
Chris Cornell of Soundgarden had it and Thornley is not far behind. Complimented by the Gord Sinclair-ish Brian Doherty on guitar, Big Wreck’s sound is unique within the sameness. Distinctively Big Wreck with enough nuances to nurture creativity . To breed solid guitar.
While Thornley and Doherty trade jabs and riffs , McMillan ( bass) and Keeping ( drums) maintain the base. Nailing the foundation with a rythym section as solid as the leaning Tower of Pisa. Swaying enough to add swing into a genre sometimes criticized for monotanous behavior. Sloppy enough to add the danger.
By the time The Oaf ended things and Albatross started them up again in the encore , Big Wreck and the crowd were as one. Albatross a giant sing a long / lovefest essential to the lifeline of a Rock band. Injections of crowd participation both nurturing and an indication of possessing a damn good song.
Two entities intertwined like, well – a large crash.
Rick Keene Music Scene 