Elections. Mass shootings. Police shootings. Refugees. Global warming. Man, life is serious business these days. When you need to take a break from all that seriousness, there's nothing like music. Especially if it's the irreverent, incisive punk music of Toronto's PKEW PKEW PKEW (gunshots).
We went off-schedule to see one of their shows in Toronto during NXNE in 2013 and never forgot how much fun they were. When we saw them booked at Phog Lounge last week on a Thursday, we didn't care about the sleep we were going to lose.
The PKEWs-- David Laino, Ryan McKinley, Emmett O'Reilly and Mike Warne-- play punk songs firmly rooted in the old school style and tradition: fast, short and with the added plus of some solid vocals. They're also firmly testosterone-in-cheek, skewering the Peter Pans ("Mid-20s Skateboarder," "Glory Days"), the Darwin Award nominees ("We're Gonna Do It Anyway") and the assholes ("Asshole Pandemic"). Look for a new album sometime this year. If you live in the east/southeast U.S., watch for them opening for PUP this June.
Photos: Russ Gordon/N2D Images
