When I first saw NME coin the phrase "new rave" I thought it was a joke. That they were creating a market where there was none to seem cutting edge, to create a market for their magazine. Well now I have seen the scene in action, and I’m running in the other direction. Its not that what is coined as "new rave" is all bad, far from it, there are some bands in this category that make for a damn good time. Bonde Do Role being one of these.

I saw them for the first time in Dublin at Crawdaddy. Perhaps the crowd was of the new rave persuasion but we were up front having a blast and not taking notice. Some people have said that new rave is the combination of electronics and punk, and I suppose this is how I would have described Bonde Do Role, they were fun, they were raunchy and they put on a good show.

They don’t claim to be political, they don’t claim to do proper baile funk, but they do claim to have jumped on a bandwagon that has taken them around the world. They are playing nightly on their world tour and are doing the festival circuit this summer including Irelands own Electric Picnic.

Friday night at The Social in Toronto was a disappointment; a good band ruined by the scene. Their initial Toronto gig was set for The Horseshoe tavern that was to be opened by Canadian Bonjay but that was cancelled and rescheduled in gentrified queer west at The Social, where they don’t really need a sign since the crowds of hipsters will give the location away.

They really must have friends in the city since as of last week there was no gig and on Thursday the day of it, they had an article in the Toronto Star and front page of Eye Magazine. Whether people were following and waiting for the reschedule like yours truly or the it was a regular Thursday night crowd, as the line ups at 1 am indicated, this was a jammed packed night. No room to dance only to rub up against plastic jackets and witness what one friend coined as a "New Kids On The Block concert."

They played again tonight in Hamilton and tomorrow back in Toronto at Lee’s Palace. A much better venue, for the space and the sound– hope the crowd tomorrow can enjoy a bit a room to dance because this band does inspire it and with the stage a bit higher they will have a chance to see MC Marina do her thing!

Bonde do Role will be playing The Pod on Harcourt Street in Dublin on May 30th, entry is from 8pm and is a hefty 14 squids.

Labels: Bonde de Role, Gig Review, Guest Blogger, Music, New Rave, NME

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