Their show is a performance, like most other bands, and their songs are great, but I keep expecting more and I know I'll never get it. A part of me, however, felt disappointed nonetheless.
Their set at l'Esco was tight and exciting and though at first I wasn't expecting to be exciting, I found myself dancing in spite of myself by the end, enjoying their new numbers and still relishing the old tracks they've been playing for the last three years. The problem then became that the Aversions write solid songs and play them well, but every show I've seen them play since has found me comparing them to what I expected after that first time, even as they've become more and more accomplished, practiced, and inevitably rehearsed as well. Even as they threatened the club's equipment (the soundguy coming up mid-set to confiscate mic stands and disconnect unused mics), the atmosphere was less of inspired hostility and more of a band on stage working through a controversial stage show. However that's a hard feeling for a band to maintain, and the second time I saw the Aversions I was already less excited than I'd been at their previous show. What was already a good, tight band was made that much more engaging by the feeling that I was risking a bloody nose by remaining pressed to the front. The band played their songs about as fast as they could manage and in the process lead singer managed to damage instruments, mike stands, and himself, occasionally bowling into the crowd and knocking people over as well, and between their confrontational posture and catchy, frenetic numbers, it was hard to remain unmoved. I'd had a similar feeling about Quebec City's The Aversions the first time I saw them three years back- from the beginning of their set of high-test Ripoff Records-style rock and roll, there seemed the promise that things would get broken and people would get hurt. That feeling is the aspiration of many second-rate punk bands, but the rarity of its achievement in spite of so many lame attempts makes the Red Dons genuinely special. The Red Dons, like the Observers before them, actually encourage a feeling of breakdown between the audience and "the show," leaving everyone in the crowd feeling like a participant.
30 years past punk rock's year zero, none of this behaviour is novel, and I've seen bands turn the same thing into uninspired schtick, yet coming from Doug Burns, against the able backing of his band- particularly the fierce rhythm section- it's electrifying. You don't stand in the crowd and watch them play- you feel what they're playing, and Burns goads spectators into response with intense eye contact, constant motion, and a long microphone cord that allows him to wander far from the stage and engage people in the back (or, in some cases, wrap around and tie them up in groups). But what's important about the Red Dons is that despite playing a style that's arguably of one time and one place, they make the music immediate. I've always been a sucker for a particular sound- frantic and melodic surf-influenced rock and roll in the tradition of late '70s West coast punk rock- and it's in the Red Dons favour that they play pretty much that. Ten or so songs (including three Observers numbers) after that, it was over far too soon. By the time Burns dropped his guitar, grabbed the microphone, and hopped off L'Esco's miniscule stage into the crowd a few seconds later I was already awash with elation. The response in my feet and hips was unconscious and instant. It took them about ten seconds to remind me: even before the lyrics came in, I was swept up by the swift current of the rhythm. I have the Observers LP and it's a fine record, but over time I'd forgotten what to expect from its principal members live. Two years ago I saw Portland OR's The Observers and experienced that rare, instantaneous rush, so when I heard that they had split up and that frontman Doug Burns and bassist Hajji were passing through town as the Red Dons, I was eager to see them again.
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