Post by Chastity on Mar 13, 2005 22:08:52 GMT -5
Here is an article written by a Montreal university student
Millencolin come from Sweden with love
Pop punk veterans and hockey-team owners proved they're still relevant with tight show at Metropolis
By Matthew Howard
Long before Good Charlotte sold-out melodic, fast, skate-punk on MTV, Millencolin was establishing the genre in Sweden.
It's been nearly 12 years since the band's formation in Örebro. With five full-length albums, a slew of EPs and a handful of international awards, Millencolin have gained the respect and admiration of the punk rock community.
Last Wednesday at the Metropolis, the veteran pop-punkers proved that their music was relevant as ever.
For long-time fans of the group the concert was like déja-vu. Teenage spectators wore the exact same styles and possessed the same attitude, as they would have had at a Millencolin show eight years ago.
The only notable difference was an increased atmosphere of sobriety. Are there no more dépanneurs willing to sell Colt 45's to underage punks? Has pot fallen out of favour with the increasingly straight edge pop-punk scene?
One thing that has not changed is Millencolin's musical style. Their brand of punk draws crowds looking for a good time rather than a riot.
Opening for Millencolin was Senses Fail from northern New Jersey.
They represented the changing face of pop punk: tight jeans and screamo style singing. The only explicitly political group of the show, Senses Fail professed their hatred of the American government to the crowd of nearly two thousand. They also weren't shy in proclaiming their dislike for Québecoise chanteuse Céline Dion.
With an average age of 20, Senses Fail seem poised to become a big name in the evolving world of pop-punk. The band's 19-year-old guitarist was featured in this month's Guitar World, which is a testament to their skill. They were recently signed to Geffen subsidiary, Drive-Thru Records.
When asked how they would classify their music, lead singer Buddy Nielsen replied, "Really pissed off pop-core." Senses Fail is worth a download if you still have a bit of teenage angst that needs to be addressed.
After a short break, Millencolin took the stage ripping into classics as if they would not run out, and they didn't.
By the time the encore was demanded it was hard to think of a classic song they had not played. Millencolin often took time between songs, as most bands do, to let the crowd know how much Montreal "is the best place to play!" However, these were not mere platitudes, Millencolin proved their sincerity.
They said that Montreal, due to the support they have received from the city in the past ten years, made the band comfortable enough to play some of their oldest tracks.
They reached back as far as their first album, Same Old Tunes, as well as performed a cover of punk legends Operation Ivy. This was a hell of a treat for any long time Millencolin fan.
"We just wanted to show our appreciation to the Montreal fans. They are some of the best in the world," said Nikola, bass player/singer. Nikola has family in Montreal and in Toronto, which may partially explain why he loves to play here.
Millencolin's fondness for Montreal also may be credited to an odd source for a punk rock band, hockey. On stage they revealed their love of the game, through what sounded like a plea for acceptance.
However, after the show in an interview guitarist Mathias revealed that the band members are such big hockey fans they've bought part of a Swedish team, where the Millencolin emblem stains centre ice.
Millencolin played a perfect set with a perfect set list. They did everything right; including not playing Monkey Boogie.
Millencolin come from Sweden with love
Pop punk veterans and hockey-team owners proved they're still relevant with tight show at Metropolis
By Matthew Howard
Long before Good Charlotte sold-out melodic, fast, skate-punk on MTV, Millencolin was establishing the genre in Sweden.
It's been nearly 12 years since the band's formation in Örebro. With five full-length albums, a slew of EPs and a handful of international awards, Millencolin have gained the respect and admiration of the punk rock community.
Last Wednesday at the Metropolis, the veteran pop-punkers proved that their music was relevant as ever.
For long-time fans of the group the concert was like déja-vu. Teenage spectators wore the exact same styles and possessed the same attitude, as they would have had at a Millencolin show eight years ago.
The only notable difference was an increased atmosphere of sobriety. Are there no more dépanneurs willing to sell Colt 45's to underage punks? Has pot fallen out of favour with the increasingly straight edge pop-punk scene?
One thing that has not changed is Millencolin's musical style. Their brand of punk draws crowds looking for a good time rather than a riot.
Opening for Millencolin was Senses Fail from northern New Jersey.
They represented the changing face of pop punk: tight jeans and screamo style singing. The only explicitly political group of the show, Senses Fail professed their hatred of the American government to the crowd of nearly two thousand. They also weren't shy in proclaiming their dislike for Québecoise chanteuse Céline Dion.
With an average age of 20, Senses Fail seem poised to become a big name in the evolving world of pop-punk. The band's 19-year-old guitarist was featured in this month's Guitar World, which is a testament to their skill. They were recently signed to Geffen subsidiary, Drive-Thru Records.
When asked how they would classify their music, lead singer Buddy Nielsen replied, "Really pissed off pop-core." Senses Fail is worth a download if you still have a bit of teenage angst that needs to be addressed.
After a short break, Millencolin took the stage ripping into classics as if they would not run out, and they didn't.
By the time the encore was demanded it was hard to think of a classic song they had not played. Millencolin often took time between songs, as most bands do, to let the crowd know how much Montreal "is the best place to play!" However, these were not mere platitudes, Millencolin proved their sincerity.
They said that Montreal, due to the support they have received from the city in the past ten years, made the band comfortable enough to play some of their oldest tracks.
They reached back as far as their first album, Same Old Tunes, as well as performed a cover of punk legends Operation Ivy. This was a hell of a treat for any long time Millencolin fan.
"We just wanted to show our appreciation to the Montreal fans. They are some of the best in the world," said Nikola, bass player/singer. Nikola has family in Montreal and in Toronto, which may partially explain why he loves to play here.
Millencolin's fondness for Montreal also may be credited to an odd source for a punk rock band, hockey. On stage they revealed their love of the game, through what sounded like a plea for acceptance.
However, after the show in an interview guitarist Mathias revealed that the band members are such big hockey fans they've bought part of a Swedish team, where the Millencolin emblem stains centre ice.
Millencolin played a perfect set with a perfect set list. They did everything right; including not playing Monkey Boogie.
It really makes me smiling
