March 12th, 2024
London, ON @ London Music Hall
Photos: Kimberly Baarda
Words: Jason Deaville
To say things were going to get a bit bloody on this night is an understatement. In fact, London, Ontario, Canada would become drenched in oceans of blood, just as one would expect from “The Blood Of Gods” themselves, GWAR. The band rolled into Canada as part of their Age Of Befuddlment Tour, which also featured Toronto’s Cancer Bats, and a rare appearance of the mysterious and legendary X-Cops. GWAR frontman Blöthar The Berserker had this to say about the impending trek…
“The Invasion of Canada is nigh. We will start our campaign to bring befuddlement to the masses in the cultured and forward thinking American South, and from there, we will launch a coast-to-coast attack on the Great White North, leaving a swath of destruction not seen since the War of 1812. Stopping only to get high in the Pacific Northwest, we will dive directly into the gaping hole of the donut, the American Midwest, before gracing the Dirty South and ending again on the filthy streets of Baltimore! I wonder if we can score crack in the ‘City that Reads.’ Are You Not Befuddled?”
X-COPS
Outfitted in their obligatory police uniforms, this side-project featuring members of GWAR raided the stage like the law enforcement buffoons in the slapstick TV comedy, Reno 911. Their set consisted of songs mainly from there one and only studio album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent (released on Metal Blade Records way back in ’95), as well as two brand new tracks (‘Kinderhardened’ and ‘Light Em Up’) from a rumored EP set to be released later this year.
If I were to guess, a good portion of the sizeable crowd in attendance for X-Cops‘ set likely had no idea who the band were. That being said, they managed to the win crowd over with an incredibly competent performance that was as fun to watch as it was to listen to.
Setlist
Interloper, Barbells, Zipper Pig, Cavity Search, Kinderhardened, Light Em Up, Paddy Wagon Rape, Welcome To New Jersey, You Fucked Up
CANCER BATS
Toronto hardcore punkers Cancer Bats might have been slightly out-of-place on this billing, but they didn’t show it, delivering an incredibly high-energy set of songs from their extensive catalog of recorded material. Frontman, Liam Cormier, did an admirable job of getting the audience pumped and eating out of the palm of his hands, and that energy from the packed house was directed right back at the band. There was no doubt that a sizeable portion of the crowd was there to see Cancer Bats, which speaks volumes to the success and longevity of this hard-hitting band.
Setlist
Bricks & Mortar, Trust No One, Pneumonia Hawk, Lucifer’s Rocking Chair, The Hoof, Rats, True Zero, Road Sick, Hammering On, Sorceress, Winterpeg, Sabotage (Beastie Boys cover), Hail Destroyer
GWAR
From the deepeset reaches of space, the Scumdogs Of The Universe were sent to conquer this insignificant shitball floating in a dark corner of the universe; the planet Earth. Tonight, the unsuspecting, conservative city of London, Ontario, Canada was the target. With them, the band brought gallons upon gallons of blood in an effort to mark the city as their own.
With the venue now packed to the gills, the spectacle started with Black Sabbath‘s ‘War Pigs’ playing over the house speakers. This served to amp the crowd up ten-fold. As the song faded away into obscurity, the Scumdogs, fittingly, blasted onto the stage with the song ‘Battle Lust’ (taken from their Violence Has Arrived album released in 2001). The stout, pig-faced, horned-goblin of a frontman, Blöthar the Berserker, was an imposing force, spewing out the lyrics like a demon possessed, backed-up by co-vocalist Sawborg Destructo.
GWAR wasted no time, immediately launching into ‘Hail, Genocide!’ and ‘I, Bonesnapper’ much to the delight of the audience, who were now wholly-consumed by the force from the stage. It was around this time that the band then unleashed a torrent of blood onto the all-too-eager crowd, soaking the first five rows from head to toe. Those poor photographers in the press pit came out looking like Stephen King’s Carrie. The highlight of the evening was when the band brought out Joe Biden, who, as expected, shambled out out onto the stage and rambled incoherently as the band grilled him. In the end, things didn’t turn out so great for old Biden, with Blöthar quickly decapitating Biden while the audience cheered on in approval.
This was certainly one of the most exciting and engaging metal shows in London, Ontario in a very long-time. The best part was seeing the throngs of fans making their way out of the venue at the end of the night drenched in blood yet with glowing, satisified smiles.
Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath), Battle-Lust, Hail Genocide!, I Bonesnapper, Mother Fucking Liar, I’ll Be Your Monster, The Cutter, Starving Gods (Death Whistle Suite), Krosstika, Completely Fucked, Immortal Corrupter, Maggots, Let Us Slay, Sonderkommando, Crack In The Egg, Berserker Mode, Sick Of You, Fishfuck, Fuck This Place
Remaining dates on the Age Of Befuddlement Tour are as follows:
March 16 – Saskatoon, SK @ Coors Event Centre FM
March 17 – Edmonton, AB @ Midway Music Hall FM
March 18 – Calgary, AB @ The Back Alley FM
March 20 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre FM
March 21 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory FM
March 24 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater FM
March 26 – Davenport, IA @ The Capitol Theater FM
March 27 – Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot FM
March 28 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall FM
March 29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground FM
March 30 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage FM