Shyny Diemindz, UN & The Lindbergh Line @ Barfly, July 24th, 2010

Saturday night at Barfly usually spells ''winter'' and ''waiting for the Habs game to finish before the music starts'', but not this time. It was hot inside and out, the drinks were flowing, and the sounds were astounding.

First off, The Lindbergh Line were playing their first show ever. I'd heard of them a few months back, as I was courting their drummer, Denise Williams, to play in my band (and still am), and she mentioned they were writing and recording songs, then sent me their MySpace link when they were up. I liked the material instantly and couldn't wait to see them live - and I was not disappointed. Karl LeBlanc (bass) stood out as a pillar of energy and professionalism - all business - and Williams incorporated tribal-esque beats in songs that seemed to hit like waves, at times starting slow, but building up into a frenzy of sound that made it hard to believe they could be emanating from the frail body of Debbie Harry lookalike Myriam Chebat (vocals and guitar). It was a terrific show, and whether you missed it or just want to see it again, I'll be playing with them on August 3rd at Bar St-Laurent 2, on a bill with Dance Movie.

Next up was UN, a two-girl attack of dance-pop the likes of which was very trendy for the past 5 years (reminiscent of Green Go, a bit). UN consists of Kara Keith on synths and vocals, and Jen Reimer on drums; Keith reminds me of Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls) in that she was disguised and brought a theatricality to her performance unlike most of the other performers that night, but unlike Palmer, who sometimes breaks character to poke fun at her own songs - even in the middle of them - Keith took herself and her performance very seriously, to the point of correcting Reimer's tempo and re-starting songs if they weren't to her liking. Reimer, however, had a hypnotic effect on me: her square, repetitive, Meg White-esque beats got me into the songs, despite them not being in my usual 'style'. But I can understand if I wasn't their target audience, who I would dub The Patrol - they were dancing like nothing else mattered and seemed to have the time of their lives. Good on them.

And finally, the final treat of the evening, Shyny Diemindz. By the time Will Austin (vocals, guitar), Allan Lento (bass, vocals) and Jackie Gallant (drums) took to the stage, the bar smelled like old man's sweat - and there was no way it was going to get cleaner. Lento sang a song with only two lines, but both hard hitting ('I said no / but my sister said yes') and an amazing hook, while Austin sang the rest, including a cover of Surfin' Bird he swears wasn't inspired by a conversation we had about it on a message board a week prior. If you're unfamiliar with Austin's vocal style, I'd describe it as ''balls-out''. It can be at times high-pitched and plaintive, but even when it is, it's less Bob Dylan and more Stiv Bators. And when it isn't high-pitched, it's a growl straight from his bowels, as if Lemmy Kilmeister was throwing up a moose he'd eaten alive just to put more BBQ sauce on it and re-ingurgitate it. It's not for everyone, but if it's for you, it's just what the doctor ordered.