On a sunny, sleep-deprived Saturday afternoon, nursing a terrible migraine, I got to see Truck Violence. The band have been darlings of the Montreal hardcore scene for the past couple of years, and that day, they were slated to perform twice. The first was an indoor show, a calmer affair with kids in the crowd. Later that night, they played a secret show outside a 24-hour poutine restaurant, and they came out in full force. Somehow, by the end of it all, with back-to-back Truck Violence, I felt renewed.
Lead singetr Karsyn Henderson has a commanding presence, pacing and strutting across the stage like a Southern Baptist preacher mid-sermon. He’s both intense and fierce, yet tender. The best example of this comes during the rare reprieve in both sets, a dark folk banjo ballad, when he sings “I like it here right now” during “guns buried in the front yard,” his voice bending with a painful twang. Guitarist Paul Lecours and bassist Chris Clegg work in tandem, driving the songs forward with such force that you feel like taking a sledgehammer to a wall. At other moments, their sludgy riffs makes you feel like you’re wading through thick tar. The band’s newest addition, drummer Thomas Hart, pounded the drums with explosive force and ferocity. Together, Truck Violence is a force that’s impossible to ignore.
There is no drop-off in quality between sets. Truck Violence is a searing forge: intense, hammering, with brief reprieves from the heat. When they’re on it, there is no stopping them. You’re along for the ride whether you like it or not. You are compelled to move.
