Remember when Rocktographers told you to check out The Motorleague at Rock The Shores this summer? Clearly, you didn’t take our advice. Otherwise you’d have been at Lucky Bar last Friday night for an outstanding concert from the Moncton, New Brunswick-based quartet.
It was spooky in Lucky Bar on that dreary Friday night in October.
It wasn’t because they had decorated for Halloween or that needle I almost stepped on crossing the street, but because of how few people were there for the concert that night. Personally, I’d never seen it that empty in there, and I’ve been in there for load-in with bands before Lucky opened.
After a long delay, fuzz rockers Highkicks took the stage. The two-piece from Calgary was followed in by a dozen or so folks doubling the amount of people loitering on the dance floor waiting for the music to kick off. The new rough and tumble audience members quickly turned the front of the stage into the world’s smallest mosh pit, but using the maximum amount of space possible. Drinks were knocked over and a girl on crutches jumped into the pit a few times.
It wasn’t until halfway through the set I realized that the frontman of the Highkicks was Dan Vacon of The Dudes fame. It was strange that no one had mentioned it earlier or used it to market the low-selling show. Either way, it was a pleasant surprise for those of us who were in the audience that night.
Between earsplitting riffs and headbanging crowd, Matt and Dan joked around with the audience about the other show happening in town that night. It was clear they couldn’t care less about it they were having too much fun playing. Heck, they even did an encore which is pretty rare for an opening act.
With over half of the concertgoers abandoning Lucky after Highkicks to hit that “other concert,” you had to feel for The Motorleague. The band had toured all the way across Canada to play to an almost empty bar on a Friday night. All that was left was a handful of diehard fans, two photographers, a promoter, and the staff.
Despite the less than stellar attendance, The Motorleague turned the night around by bringing a stadium sized rock show to those of us who stuck around.
The band kept the night’s banter to a minimum with the encroaching curfew, but that was made up for with a high energy rock show. Lead singer Don Levandier bounced around the small stage, often playing off fellow bandmates Nathan Jones, Shawn Chiasson, and drummer Francis Landry.
Halfway through the set, the band cracked into their single, The Boards, which has hands down one of the best music videos about tabletop hockey out there. It is certainly recommended viewing.
Victoria’s lack of epic rock shows like this one is often a topic brought up by those who don’t go to shows. If we don’t support hard rocking and hard working Canadian touring acts like The Motorleague and Highkicks, they’ll stop coming back to the Garden City. That ferry over can be an expensive hit for a band, so get off your duff and make sure to catch both these bands next time they come to Victoria.
