I think I have permanently damaged my ear drums from this dynamic and lively performance from these three Canadian punk rock acts. Playing at the infamous Toronto alt-rock venue Velvet Underground, Wine Lips with DVTR and Golden Shitters rocked the stage on December 13th and 14th, 2024.
At 8:30, the first act, Golden Shitters, took the stage. The stage setup was interesting, to say the least. With reflective colourful sunglasses, white lab coats and guitarist Dave Tyson wearing a festive Santa hat, the Golden Shitters look like mad scientists. In the middle of the stage was a golden toilet, lit up by an LED light strip. Although I would usually be against shining a light on the contents of a toilet, it worked for this act.
The band started out with a bang, bringing life to the crowd immediately. Their interesting sound and screeching guitar made for a compelling show. They kept their set short and sweet with concise tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Go To The Mall” and “I Try, I Die.” In between songs, a fan even asked the band if they could crowd surf, and jumped back first into the crowd, which would be the first of many crowd surfs that night.
The Golden Shitters ended their set with a cover of Black Flag’s “Rise Above” which meshed with their sound very nicely and rounded out their chaotic show. This band surprised me in a good way, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for them as they also teased a new album to come out next year, alongside an album tour featuring Canada and Scandivavia, and even a full-length movie coming out. The Golden Shitters are definitely a band to keep on your radar in 2025.
At around 9:20 the francophone duo from Montreal, DVTR began their set. If I thought this show couldn’t get even more intense, I was wrong. For their first song, DVTR’s lead vocalist, Demi Lune jumped off the stage and straight into the crowd to start a mosh pit.
Lune was wearing an interesting get-up, to say the least. In a blue hospital gown, black knee-high socks and a tambourine on her head, she really embodied the chaotic nature of this punk act. Alongside lead guitarist Jean Divorce, they really played off each other’s energy to fire up the crowd, especially for tracks like “Les Flics,” which reminded me of “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre, or during “Rhum Coke”’ which had Lune playing a large recorder. Lune even had to lie down on the stage in the middle of the set to take a break, but was right back up and brought more energy than ever in the second half of the show.
Even though DVTR sang in French for the whole show, there were no language barriers when it came to their music. Their set was about more than just words, it was about a vibe and their message transcends language. In one of their last tracks, “Vasectomia,” they had the crowd in a frenzy, even putting up snipping motions with their fingers in the air.
In their closing statements from their set, they also made sure to tell the audience “Don’t forget to call us when you are in Montreal…because clubs close at 3 am.”
Now that the crowd had warmed up, it was time for Wine Lips to hit the stage. At around 10:30 the countdown from the beginning of “Space Oddity” by David Bowie began to play as the band walked on stage. With the crash of the first song, the fans immediately began moshing in the centre of the crowd. Fans were crowd-surfing and falling to the ground in a reckless fashion. With fog machines blurring everyone’s vision, the energy was high right from the start.
They began their set with hits like “Derailer” and “Dead Beat” which warmed the crowd up as they sang and banged their heads along with the music.
The band even began to play a new unreleased song, but then said they messed it up and continued with a new song. This did not deter the crowd though, as the energy built more and more with every track. They were interacting with the audience, encouraging everyone to “open up the pit” and thrash around.
When it came time for the show to end, Wine Lips concluded with their track “Six Pack” from their newest album Super Mega Ultra before heading off the stage. They were then greeted with a roar from the fans cheering “Encore, Encore, Encore.” The band took back the stage and concluded their show with a twist on their most popular songs “Eyes” and “Stimulation,” which had the crowd moving along to the beat.
Wine Lips’ Velvet Underground show was one to remember. All three acts flowed seamlessly and consistently kept the energy up for the length of the show. With a responsive crowd and an enthusiasm for good music, I am looking forward to the next shows put on by these three incredible bands.
