Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
@ Lee’s Palace, Toronto
September 28th, 2014
Uncle Acidโs debut Toronto appearance was a highly anticipated show for the stoner metal purists, this up and coming psych-metal mega force has toured Europe extensively since their 2009 inception and opened for Black Sabbath on a 2012 tour. To say they weโre sufficiently primed for this North American tour would be an understatement.
When I rolled up to Leeโs Palace on the evening of September 28, 2014, the usual suspects of dark and unsettling looking folks surrounded me and I felt right at home. The venue was packed from wall to wall with genre appropriate t-shirts such as Pentagram, Kyuss, Sword, Iron Maiden and other dandies. Setting the stage for Uncle Acid was a Portland, Oregon band called Danava, an act I was told NOT to miss. Despite the rough sounding board mix, Danava couldnโt have been tighter and ripped through their set with technical perfection. The harmonized lead guitars weโre simply mesmerizing and the band kicked out some very impressive 70โs era metal jams.
When Uncle Acid hit the stage, no one could move inside the Leeโs Palace, this simply added to the anticipation of what these cats were going to deliver. Seconds after they walked on stage, they RIPPED into Mt. Abraxas, the opening track on their last full length Mind Control; all 500 or so people went insane and the acid trip was in full effect. As the crowd was head banging to the ear splitting tunes, they were also waiting for the lights to slam the stage and REALLY get the show going, but that did not happenโฆ The band brought their own lighting rig, which consisted of 5 static TVโs and 2 huge catsโ eyes that basically backlit the show. Regardless how they chose to light the stage, it did not impede their performance one bit. Musically the band was impeccable and the sound was spot on. Lead singer Kevin Starrs called out well-known tunes like Chrystal Spiders, Poison Apple and Iโll Cut You Down throwing the crowd into a frenzy of applause and screams. Uncle Acid played a perfect mix of tunes from their releases Mind Control, Blood Lust and Vol. 1 along with their new single Runaway Girls.
I think Uncle Acid is already set to be playing a larger Toronto venue next time around, either way I will certainly be there and will be bringing friends.
โ Andre Skinnerย (Twitter @andreskinner)
SPILL NEWS: SCOTT PILGRIM TRIBUTE CONCERT COMING TO TORONTO’S LEE’S PALACE THIS FALL
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A SIGNED POSTER AND A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE HARM & EASE AS PART OF CMW AT THE DANCE CAVE ON SATURDAY JUNE 8!
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE SPITALFIELD AT LEE’S PALACE ON FEBRUARY 1 ALONG WITH YOUR CHOICE OF A HOODIE OR T-SHIRT!
SPILL CONTEST: WIN AN ECONOLINE CRUSH PRIZE PACK INCLUDING PASSES TO THE TORONTO SHOW!
