It's been awhile since Gob have had a hit single, but a drunk and very rowdy crowd still packed the Oak to see the BC-based pop-punk band play a wide variety of cuts spanning their two-plus decades. People were even moshing and having a good time when Gob launched into newer tunes such as "Walking Alone" and "Cold," which are both off the band's 2014 record Apartment 13.
Still, it was obvious they were really there to hear the songs that got heavy rotation on MuchMusic back in the day, and it really showed when the band launched into "Oh! Ellin" near the beginning of the set. The sing-along for "I Hear You Calling" was especially loud, and there was absolutely no reason for guitarist/vocalist Tom Thacker to step up to the microphone and sing it himself. Of course throughout the set people were loudly heckling the band to play "Soda" and if they chose to walk off the stage at the end without playing it, a full-blown riot would have erupted. Twenty years later, "Soda" has stood the test of time and remains one of that band's most beloved tracks, despite the fact that it's pretty much just about wanting to jump in a lake. Gob really ended up giving the crowd what they wanted to hear, and tossed in some extra gems too. The addition of "Naked" from How Far Shallow Takes You was really welcome and helped spice up what would otherwise be a fairly predictable set list.
Overall the guys are a little older, but they still manage to get the crowd pumped up by jumping around, and guitarist/vocalist Theo Goutzinakis still makes the same funny faces while playing. They're also still talking about farts, burping during songs and making jokes about penises, which doesn't come as a surprise. The only real criticism is that they didn't sound too great live, and while most of the crowd was probably too wasted to care, it still took away from their performance. The vocals were way too low and nothing was ever done to stop them from sounding so muffled.
Boids kicked off the night and actually did end up sounding better than Gob, which proved it wasn't necessarily the venue's fault. At first the crowd didn't seem too sure about the band, but near the end some people ventured to the stage instead of hanging out back near the bar. The Montreal-based quartet play really fast, sometimes repetitive and really simple punk that sounds a bit like the stuff Teenage Bottlerocket write and they even stand around strumming their instruments with the same super-wide stance that band are known for. Boids tore into new tracks like "Automatic Satisfaction" and "Get a Job" from Superbafrango, which officially drops on October 16, and some older ones like "Back In My Arms."
Still, it was obvious they were really there to hear the songs that got heavy rotation on MuchMusic back in the day, and it really showed when the band launched into "Oh! Ellin" near the beginning of the set. The sing-along for "I Hear You Calling" was especially loud, and there was absolutely no reason for guitarist/vocalist Tom Thacker to step up to the microphone and sing it himself. Of course throughout the set people were loudly heckling the band to play "Soda" and if they chose to walk off the stage at the end without playing it, a full-blown riot would have erupted. Twenty years later, "Soda" has stood the test of time and remains one of that band's most beloved tracks, despite the fact that it's pretty much just about wanting to jump in a lake. Gob really ended up giving the crowd what they wanted to hear, and tossed in some extra gems too. The addition of "Naked" from How Far Shallow Takes You was really welcome and helped spice up what would otherwise be a fairly predictable set list.
Overall the guys are a little older, but they still manage to get the crowd pumped up by jumping around, and guitarist/vocalist Theo Goutzinakis still makes the same funny faces while playing. They're also still talking about farts, burping during songs and making jokes about penises, which doesn't come as a surprise. The only real criticism is that they didn't sound too great live, and while most of the crowd was probably too wasted to care, it still took away from their performance. The vocals were way too low and nothing was ever done to stop them from sounding so muffled.
Boids kicked off the night and actually did end up sounding better than Gob, which proved it wasn't necessarily the venue's fault. At first the crowd didn't seem too sure about the band, but near the end some people ventured to the stage instead of hanging out back near the bar. The Montreal-based quartet play really fast, sometimes repetitive and really simple punk that sounds a bit like the stuff Teenage Bottlerocket write and they even stand around strumming their instruments with the same super-wide stance that band are known for. Boids tore into new tracks like "Automatic Satisfaction" and "Get a Job" from Superbafrango, which officially drops on October 16, and some older ones like "Back In My Arms."
