Performance art, especially in big cities like Toronto is everywhere; there is a strong chance that if you were placed anywhere in the city randomly, you could find some type of art, music or performance within 5 minutes walking. On April 28th. I strolled down to The Garrison to see a couple of the most talented instrumentalists that I’ve ever seen: the intricate finger picking and upbeat rhythms of TTNG and the abrasive, but insanely fun pop and math-rock of Tera Melos. Upon entering the venue, I had a small chat with another attendee who made sure to mention that Tera Melos have played Toronto multiple times, and that each successive visit was an even bigger party. I was excited to say the least.
The first group to play was a 4-piece band from Toronto called The Bulletproof Tiger, who served as a perfect introduction to the virtuosity and skill that was going to be displayed throughout the night. Chock-full of complex tapping melodies, syncopated rhythms and technical drum patterns, these guys really had a way of drawing in an audience. As per usual, there was small chatter between each of the group’s songs, but once this 4-piece began the groove of a new track every person in the audience became enthralled and fell silent. Their tracks are centered on a math-rock sound, but often have a playful bounce to them. With no vocals in the mix, this allowed audience members to focus on the complex instrumental melodies, which is easily the most impressive part of this Toronto 4-piece. I found it difficult to focus on only one member of the group since each were displaying a high amount of skill, from the complicated tapping bass patterns to the stop-start dynamics of their drummer. Either way, this group not only played some great music, but also adequately introduced the kind of musical madness that was about to be unleashed at The Garrison.
Next on the bill was the UK’s TTNG (formerly This Town Needs Guns), who is a group that I’d wanted to see ever since the release of their first full length, Animals. Though the group’s lineup has changed with Henry Tremain taking over on guitar and vocals, they still manage to play like a well-knit musical force. Immediately, I began to drool over Tim Collis’ wood-finished Telecaster’s, but this would soon change once the music started. Through most of the set Tremain made use of a hybrid between a bass and a guitar, which allowed him to focus on the lower frequencies when necessary, but also allowed him to play certain backup guitar phrases at times. I’ve always appreciated the fact that TTNG’s songs can almost be listened to at two paces, the first being the upbeat instrumental rhythms and the second being the leisurely crooning of Henry’s vocals, and Tremain did a fantastic job of bringing both of these elements together live. TTNG mainly performed tracks from 13.0.0.0.0, but also brought back great singles from their first record like “Baboon”, on which guitarist Tim Collis was completely hypnotizing.
Though I didn’t have the clearest view of drummer Chris Collis, I could hear that he was the clear backbone of this band. Calling him a strong player would be an understatement, since he provided all of the drive on some of these songs. Since Tim Collis’ guitar patterns are finger picked, they have a definite melody, but don’t hold much punch. When tied with Chris’ pounding drum patterns and Henry’s gentle vocals the groups sound is really brought into clear focus. TTNG also made use of performance techniques that I hadn’t witnessed before. Henry Tremain equipped himself with two guitars for one song (see on the left), and proceeded to switch between the two during the song. Techniques like this, when tied to the raw skill shown by the Collis’ brothers made for a completely engaging experience, and I hope that TTNG return to North America in the near future.
After TTNG’s set finished, Tera Melos immediately took to the stage and began to make it their own. By first setting up their pedal boards, which consisted of at least 10 pedals per player, what I was about to witness began to set in. Next, Tera Melos garnished the stage with their spiritual entities: Freddy Kruger equipped with a marching hat, Hot Dog man and an X’ed out Bart Simpson. Yup, the party was definitely about to begin.
Tera Melos’ set started with little warning, and immediately had people jumping around the room. The earlier portion of their set focused mainly on tracks off their great new record X’ed Out, but their set wasn’t limited to just these songs. With a creative force as strong as Tera Melos, improvisation and on-the-spot performance techniques are expected. For many of the tracks performed, Tera Melos’ guitar mastermind Nick Reinhart brought them on a detour half way through. Sometimes a melody would get lost in a sea of effects while other moments saw playful back and forth between instruments. There was a great amount of variety to Tera Melos’ set in this way, which made it very enjoyable.
As the set continued, Tera Melos continued to keep the energy of the entire room at its limit. Fun and frantic songs like “Bite” were matched with gentler moments like 
“Snake Lake”, making for one hell of a ride. When I think about it, I don’t think that drummer John Clardy stopped playing at any point during the set. It’s already obvious through videos like the Glass Room Sessions that Tera Melos are a very, very well performed group of guys.
Even though Clardy only joined the group in recent years, he still plays with these guys like he’s been doing it forever. Instead of simply stopping all noise between songs, Tera Melos maintained a consistent wall of sound throughout their set, which not only helped them flow into one another, but showed the strong connection between these players. As an encore the group played one of their oldest songs “40 Rods to the Hog’s Head”, which was extended into a live jam that exceeded 10 minutes in length, and holy shit was it amazing. 
Filled with a contrast of loud and abrasive moments and gentle guitar-looped interludes, it was a great end to a powerfully eclectic set. Tera Melos are a 3-piece that aren’t only ridiculously skilled at their instruments, but know that music and performance is still about having fun, and my experience at The Garrison was nothing if not fun.
.Favourite Photos: a tie between Hot Dog Man and Reinhart rocking the ol’ backwards guitar.
Listen to all of these great bands via the links below!
Sargent House’s Bandcamp
Tera Melos’ Bandcamp
TTNG’s Bandcamp
The Bulletproof Tiger’s Bandcamp
Also, here’s the full album of photos I took at the show: