Pop Evil rocks The Gateway in Calgary

I found myself in a medium sized college venue on Sunday night. The room was starting to fill, and the line-up outside was still going strong, as Calgary locals The Path Less Travelled took the stage.

TPLT, playing their first show after a summer hiatus, hit the stage with gusto, obviously excited to be back playing, and to be a part of such an awesome line-up. Their hook based hard rock filled the room, amidst some minor technical issues, and the quickly filling crowd ate it up. Coming across as seasoned veterans, the band brought up a friend to jam out on a couple tracks with them, frontman Scott Bennet and bassist Nic Sgaggi traded vocal duties throughout the set. A cover of Disturbed‘s “Down with the Sickness” brought me back to my high school years, and a brief foray into the chorus of Phil Collin‘s “In the Air Tonight” brought me back to every road trip I’ve ever been on. Scott’s heartfelt statement to the crowd that they were so thankful and appreciative of “opportunities like this” and the fans that make them possible, reminded me why this four piece is one of my favourite local acts. Finishing off a short set with their freshly released track Tempest (listen here), I, for one, am excited that these guys are back on the stage, and looking forward to catching their next show.

Next up was Royal Tusk. Hailing from Edmonton, these hard working rockers showed zero signs of tour fatigue, even being close to the end of their North American Tour. A relatively young band, their first album released in 2014, these guys have already made a serious mark on my personal playlist. Prepping for the show, I recognized at least a half dozen of their tracks as being in my regular rotation, which is always a welcome surprise. It both makes me sad that a tour like this wasn’t playing in a much larger venue, and excited because of how alive the room was. Twice singer Daniel Carriere thanked the crowd for singing along, a beautiful feeling for any new band. Rock and roll, at least in Calgary, seems to be a reborn genre, pulling a healthy mix students, and people closer to my age to every show I attend. A mid set break into “Save Yourself” by Audioslave was a surprise break from hit and catchy hit from the bands first two albums. After unapologetically declaring that the crowd was going to hear some new music whether they liked it or not (we did) the band closed off their set with Aftermath, their latest single from the recently released “Tusk II”. If this band hasn’t made their way onto your radar yet, you need to check them out. Now.

After a short break for the crew to clear the openers equipment from the stage, Pop Evil took the stage. Opening up with the Oct 17th approved “Ways to get High” the capacity crowd was immediately engaged, singing back the bands catchy choruses to them. To complete the hat trick of covers, something that I hope is turning into a hard rock trend, Pop Evil played Drowning Pool‘s “Bodies”, Survivor‘s “Eye of the Tiger”, and Collective Soul‘s “Shine”.

If there is anything more rock and roll than holding your guitar to the sky while dropping iconic riffs, I certainly haven’t figured out what it is yet, and guitarist Davey Grahs put this to the test a number of times throughout the night. The band were smiling through their entire set, obviously enjoying the responsive crowd in front of them. Singer Leigh Kakaty told us they prefer playing in rooms like this. The intimacy often spoken of by concert goers is something not lost upon the bands that are put in front of them. A sing along to the very ironic Christmas carol “Silent Night” made it’s way into the end of the set, and Leigh told the crowd we were lucky to be hearing so much that was “off set-list”. I won’t disagree with him there, having gotten to hear new music, allegedly “never played before”. Call that a win every time.

Pop Evil closed out with their immensely popular hit “footsteps” before coming back for a three song encore. A band obviously appreciative of the opportunity to do what they do, I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next time they come through town.

Thanks for reading, and until next time, I’m Dave Di Ubaldo, operator of Worn Leather Media and enjoyer of loud rock and roll. Say hi next time you see me in the pit.