Black Pistol Fire with Sun K at The Garrison

I’ve never seen anybody drink a beer faster than Sun K’s frontman did before they got up on stage to open for Black Pistol Fire at The Garrison on Saturday night. We stood at the bar next to each other, and his beer arrived first. By the time I had mine in my hand, he had slammed his glass down next to me with an audible ‘aaaaahhhhh.’ I knew then that I was in for a rock and roll show.

Sun K’s set was awesome. In a lot of ways it reminded me of early Tom Petty, and that’s a very good thing. The way their frontman and their lead guitarist traded solos back and forth, and the extra layer of sound the keyboards gave them made each song feel very rich and full. The bass player – in his funky red pants – was awesome, and the drummer was doing the kinds of tricks only other drummers can pick up on. At one point in the set, the keyboard player sprung up with a trumpet and played a killer piece of music with it. Like, who plays a trumpet? That guy does. And it totally worked. Sun K are Toronto locals, and they’re playing this Thursday at the Dakota Tavern, so if you missed them at The Garrison, do yourself a favour and catch them there.

Now, what on earth can I say about Black Pistol Fire that I haven’t said already? Let me try and put it like this. So, there are people out there who have bucket lists, right? See Europe, bungee jump, climb a mountain, swim with sharks, whatever. Let me tell you what, you bucket-list-writing types. Add ‘go to a Black Pistol Fire show’ to your little list, okay? Because as far as I’m concerned, it’s something everybody has to do before they die. They are, and I know this might seem like a crazy thing to say, but they are without a doubt in my mind the purest rock and roll band you’ll see. 

What, you want more? Okay. How about a drummer that looks like Animal from The Muppets, and a singer who plays guitar like he’s sold his soul to the devil for it? Is that enough? No? How about if I told you that eight minutes into their cover of ‘Ohio’ by Neil Young, said singer/guitar player leapt onto the crowd on his back, and continued to play his lead like he could do it in his sleep, or laying on a crowd of people’s hands, or in outer space? Is that enough of a reason to put Black Pistol Fire on your bucket list?

Go and see this band. Wherever you are, whoever you’re with. Stop what you’re doing, and find out where Black Pistol Fire are going to be next, and then be there too.