KEN Mode, Fuck the Facts, Chicago Thrash Ensemble, Bongripper @ The Mutiny
KEN Mode
Story and photos by Carmelo Española
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I headed to the Mutiny on Good Friday for a night of $6 ice-cold pitchers of PBR and a killer lineup comprised of Bongripper, KEN Mode, Fuck the Facts, and Chicago Thrash Ensemble. Decibel writer Kevin Stewart-Panko even joined the fun with KEN Mode by selling merch to make sure there’s gas money for the next city. I’ve been to shows at the Mutiny before. It’s a place that truly defines what a dive bar is: cheap booze, some old-timers minding their own business at the end of the bar, an old TV showing sports, and a toilet that clogs up at times. This night was special, though, because the Mutiny hasn’t seen a lineup this solid before.
Bongripper opened up the night with a doom attack that’s sludgier than the smokestacks at the Fisk and Crawford coal plants which pollute the south side of Chicago. “Heavy and rumbling” was an understatement; a panel from the ceiling fell, and the power went out for a while. After the owner and his barbacks fixed the busted fuse, it was back to the chambers of doom again. Bongripper made the already stuffy air more suffocating, and the vibrations more volatile.
KEN Mode was impressive the first time I saw them at South by Southwest earlier this year. For a band that primarily churns out chaotic noise rock, KEN Mode at times resembled Houdini-era Melvins and Willpower-era Today Is the Day channeling Nothingface-era Voivod. The dynamics were angular, with a push-pull tension one could feel. A few friends arrived late and didn’t know what to make of KEN Mode all the way from the back. But from my vantage point in the front, they sounded golden.
Fuck the Facts jacked up the tempo with some furious, in-your-face grindcore. Over the years, they’ve evolved from a spazzy, mathy act to a more refined unit as Canada’s premier grindcore band. Their grind seemed like a Daisy Cutter bomb capable of leveling buildings. My knees ached after they were done.
The evening wasn’t over yet, because Chicago Thrash Ensemble were about to throw down hard. They eschew the tired denim vest and puffy sneaker look in favor of memorable crossover that is more in line with Plug-In Jesus and Animosity (with a touch of Raging Violence for good measure) rather than Bonded by Blood and The Legacy. Their 30-minute set had the biggest pit of the night. Someone even lost their wallet, and the person who picked it up didn’t know what to do with it. If Death Records were ever to resurface, Chicago Thrash Ensemble would have to be in the lineup.
There was an Accept show on the other side of town, but I doubt it had the same energy and intensity as this show.
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KEN MODE/FUCK THE FACTS – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Remaining dates
Apr 28 Seattle, WA @ The Comet
Apr 29 Victoria, BC @ Logans
Apr 30 Vancouver, BC @ Funky Winkerbeans
May 01 Kamloops, BC @ Pogue Mahone’s
May 02 Edmonton, AB @ Filthy McNasty’s
May 03 Calgary, AB @ New Black Center (all agesearly show)
May 03 Calgary, AB @ Dickens Pub (18+ late show)
May 04 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s
May 05 Prince Albert, MB @ Prince Albert Arts Center
May 06 Regina, SK @ O’Hanlon’s Pub
May 07 Winnipeg, MB @ Royal Albert Arms
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