Career Suicide / Eleutheros / I Die Screaming / The Funfuns

Located in the middle of the southern Calgary suburbs, Windsor Park Community Centre is a small, humble hall, an ideal setting for an all-ages Rock 4 Choice benefit. Feeling crammed with nary 100 people in there, the venue also packed in an anarchist bookstand, record distro table, and home-baked treats. Soon enough, the Funfuns started with their keyboard-heavy punk rock. In 20 minutes or so, they kicked out their perfect mix of goofy fun and straight up rock’n’roll that is quickly making a name for them in Calgary. Things rapidly changed pace with I Die Screaming, a Calgary grindcore outfit on a path of destruction. Despite their formulaic name, this trio pack a wallop in their simple guitar and drums set-up. Taking elements of Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan and combining them with classic grind, I Die Screaming were a wonderful surprise. Seriously, though… change your name. Following that, Edmonton’s Eleutheros brought their anarchist peace punk message to the stage. They certainly had some decent songs reminiscent of the ’90s hardcore bands on Ebullition, but the preaching about the environment, while well-intended, was overbearing at times. After a very diverse set of bands, it took the raw, visceral energy of Career Suicide to cleanse the audience’s palate. Apparently they had flown into town to play their first show in over five months, but it was impossible to tell from their primal fury. Singer Marty Farkas alternated between straining his vocal chords and sharing the mic with his desperate fans, while the band exorcised raw, angry hardcore. Ploughing through a set that included material from most of their releases, they incited a torrential circle pit that came close to knocking over the speaker cabinets. Playing until they didn’t know any more songs, Career Suicide unleashed an epic set that felt history making. Then they played an after-party and likely did it again.