Local Ottawa bands FLUID, The Bitchin’ Wickedz, Down in Eden rock Café Dekcuf

This past Friday night, local bands FLUID, The Bitchin’ Wickedz, and Down In Eden teamed up to deliver an energetic showcase of rock music to satisfied show-goers at Café Dekcuf.

The show started right on time with FLUID at 9pm. I was surprised to see barely anyone in the bar when the show began, but the crowd trickled in steadily throughout FLUID’s hour long set. Overall, the four-piece band had a tight sound with good dynamics. Their tunes were upbeat and driving, providing a good level of energy to open the show. Lead singer Ceasar Rosa projected strong vocals, and guitarist Ryan Conway provided solid backing harmonies and energetic guitar solos sprinkled into almost every song. The band had a 90s alternative vibe, reminding of bands such as Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and Guns N’ Roses. Their song “Reborn” particularly stood out to have Guns N’ Roses influence, reminding me distinctly of “Civil War”. Other songs FLUID played were lovingly dedicated to “people who want a sandwich” (including their drummer, who was wearing a sandwich shirt), as well as “people who like whiskey”.

The Bitchin’ Wickedz hit the stage next with lots of energy off the bat. It was clear they were excited to be performing after a year’s hiatus. As a fairly new band, myself and many others didn’t know what to expect of the three-piece. They had no recordings or videos to show, and I had only seen them once before, which had become a faded memory. The suspense built up around the band and seemed to work in their favour, the crowd having grown exponentially for their set. Overall, The Bitchin’ Wickedz’ were a lot of fun, providing continuous energy all the way through and keeping the audience pumped up and dancing. Their music was a progressive mix of metal and grunge with some funky riffs thrown in, making it difficult to nail them down to one genre. They were vaguely reminiscent of Tenacious D, and they seemed to have influences from bands such as Rush and Metallica. Guitarist Brett Roberts played with some formidable effects that provided for a delayed and ethereal sound. He and bassist Dylan Radmore made interesting contrast in their vocal harmonies, Roberts with a cleanly trained voice and Radmore being more gritty and abrasive. They took turns with the lead throughout their set, which was hard, fast, dirty and loose. At times, it looked like they were improvising. They seemed very comfortable on stage. One of the most memorable moments was when the band played a cover of Loverboy’s “Working For The Weekend” with metal touches thrown in.

The night ended with Down In Eden, who maintained high energy and kept the crowd dancing happily to the finish. Bassist Marie Eve Desjardins commanded my attention, being a female musician dressed in classy business attire while rocking her bass riffs. Lead singer Nick Kelly played bongo drum sporadically as he sang and kept the audience engaged, at one point commenting that the four-piece band had “all the energy they needed” to keep them going from the audience’s vigour. Down In Eden played lively, fast-paced rock music with some funky riffs sprinkled in. They had a communal feel, projecting a feeling of belonging with their gang vocals. The audience was clearly having a lot of fun, particularly with a stage lamp which one guy put on his head, and which several others danced with.

All in all, the show’s talented line-up did not disappoint. I went into the night not fully knowing what to expect, and was met with a fun, energetic, and solid night of rock music to remember.