Rebel Time Records brought Bristol, England’s finest militant ska-punk outfit over to Canada for a bunch of shows in Quebec and Ontario…what follows is their tour diary…apparently they had such a good time here that they plan on doing it all again next year! Read on…
DAY ONE
We only made it! Border run complete, check us out on the east coast of Canada for the next few weeks, tour info to follow….
After a nerve racking flight wondering if we would all get in, our jedi mind tricks did the job with the racist border guards, who had assembled with the tv crew filming for a show called “border security” to document our arrival. this is a prime example of cheerleading for the border regime and anti-immigration lobby. this tv program has been opposed for making light entertainment out of peoples misery. Their desperate situations should not be a spectacle for daytime tv. we saw how they singled out people of colour harassment – we had an overwhelming urge to confront them and scream “leave these people alone!”.
Macho racist cops greeting visitors to canada ain’t the best welcome, and we are sure tv shows like this encourage aggression and violence towards those unfortunate enough to not look “Canadian”. we successfully evaded their scrutiny and invasive questioning but not everyone is as lucky as us. no borders no nations stop deportations.
First gig of tour last night at hemisphere gauche with farler’s fury and local anarcho punk legends Jeunesse Apatride. Cracking start to the tour and we met great people from Montreal RASH, SHARP and the anarchist movement. We made some new friends and learned a bit about the political situation here, with increasing police repression of social movements and confrontations with fascists. Everywhere we go we see the same problems but looking at the crew we met and from our conversations it is clear that they are in it for the long haul and well used to fighting back. Strength and respect to the Montreal anti fascists and anarchists. And to the Bristol anarchists at the bookfair there today. Hope the day is a huge success and the afterparty is a big one.
Continuing our tour of close brushes with the local authorities after the show we were travelling back and got a pull by the local law, these goons have seriousley got their indimidation down to a fine art but our Jedi skills came into use again. As a result we missed last orders where we were hoping to meet up with new friends but we know we’ll be seeing them again
DAY TWO
Started with a stonking breakfast courtesy of good friends from Jeunesse Apatride, then it was on to Quebec with Farler’s Fury to a show at a self managed cooperative gig space. Needless to say after load in we got falafel and saw the some of the sights to be seen in Quebec. Our tour guide sucked and took us straight to the parliament. That was boring so we went and played a show with the Maggoty Brats, a truly foot stomping French folk punk outfit. We like this band a lot especially because they gave us a place to stay when things were looking shaky!
We’ve fully bonded with Farler’s Fury over stupid games and have occasionally loaned them Woody for long journeys.
Having established a common love for the mighty Trailor Park Boys with Farlers Fury we came close to a late night sessions session but cool heads prevailed, our time will come……
The gig that night was, as they say round here rad! Ben’s budget French appeared to win some hearts and minds but not as much as Woody’s topless antics and Richie’s funky dancing.
DAY THREE
…Sees our first look at some massive waterfalls, plenty of fun with Farler’s Fury as the silly games kick in properly and getting our asses kicked at a serious game of “bocce” / boules. Punks with lawn games! Later that night, we find ourselves playing a gig, sorry, a show, in someone’s bedroom, in the sleepy town of Sorel. The highlight of this gig was playing against a backdrop of Trailer Park boys on the big screen, which is the stuff of dreams! Then it was back to Montreal for a late night rum sesh with the mighty Farler’s Fury.
Next up, DAY FOUR, was a bit of a walkabout Montreal, with a great sporting moment in tube bunking and a very pleasant jaunt up Mont Royal with our “guide”, Brad from Farler’s Fury. So turns out he doesn’t have a clue where we’re going and we’re left lost in the huge cemetary with imminent zombie attack on everyone’s mind. We refrained from rock n roll poser shots at the top, taking in the view at the top, with groundhogs for company. A very nice place, but you’re never too far away from a reminder about Canada’s history of genocide and land theft on a massive scale, and sure enough, the walls of the viewpoint building were adorned with the re-writing of history in various pictures and text.
Downtown a hunt for food ensued and just when things were getting desperate faced with overpriced yuppie bars, fast food chains and not much else, a primeval shout rang through the streets, as Nick saw it. Falafel – cheap, quality falafel! We’re beginning to see a pattern here.
Well, as luck would have it this day was the day of a demonstration against law P6 and the criminalisation of protests and social movements. The town hall was besieged by hundreds of angry people, representing well the diversity of the movement here. You got the impression that everyone was there and that the mood was very much, “We’re not taking this shit anymore!” We’ve been hearing how police tactics and actions have become increasingly repressive up to the point where recently the local cop comissioner and all round “douchebag”, to use a local term, declares, “There is no right to protest”. Talk about laying your cards on the table! At least he’s honest. A large, seriously tooled up police presence protecting their masters in the town hall didn’t deter the demonstrators, who loudly and proudly defied the new laws against demonstrations. Really good to see that, in the face of state tyranny, intimidation and violence people refuse to be intimidated off the streets and stay solid together.
On the way back from the demo, Ben got himself lost in the wrong part of town, but luckily got rescued and taken to the venue by a new friend of the band, Anne, who realised he needed a bit of looking after. Nice one mate! Apparently the gig promoter was on the verge of pulling the gig. Whoops!
The gig was the best yet, at Cafe Chaos, a collectively run co-operative and a spiritual home of Montreal punks and skins, it seems. Again, plenty of new friends made and a top mix of anarchist politics and fun. We like it here! The lads from Farler’s Fury were in a state of euphoria and a huge cheer went up in the place as a well laid and complicated plan to put Ben on the floor came to fruition. Well done boys, but you know the vengenace will be swift and righteous, right?…
DAY FIVE
Starting off in Montreal we had a long drive to Toronto for a show at the Bovine Sex Club, a euro squat style venue. The crowd was a bit static like they were waiting for a bus but we were cheered up by meeting Mr Big, the unseen hand of Rebel Time Records as well as a good friend from Riot Ska Records from Bristol. We got to see The Fallout (who were rocking) and our very own Mr Small from Rebel Time rocking out with Broadcast Zero. Punk points were gained for managing to blow up the guitar amp first go and we made a load of cool new friends. We stayed that night at Caitlin & Patti’s from Brutal Youth with a bit of Trailer Park Boys thrown in for good measure.
DAY SIX
After a long, hot, sweaty night we awoke to explore Toronto, first stop vegan burritos. Yeah! We divided our forces for some vegan smoothy tasting and urban foraging with some good results. Then followed a long drive to Kingston for our next gig, this is a military town apparently characterised by especially high and disproportional rates of stop and search for people of colour. We didnt have high hopes for the show and intially thought we were heading for a quiet one but then we landed in the Sleepless Goat. This place is rad! A longstanding workers cooperative and autonomous space based on anarchist principles, they run a truely top notch vegan cafe, host gigs, talks and seminars and provide space for radical organising. Crucially – they know how to party.
We like to think they appreciated a critical intervention with some Chas & Dave to get everyone in the mood and a bit of cultural bonding with our Canadian cousins, Farlers Fury. Although the locals weren’t fielding a full team they threw themselves onto the dance floor where general uproar ensued. Quality not quantity and some of the most fun we’ve had in a while. A pattern is emerging on this tour and we made some great new friends and solid contacts, so much so we’ve decided to go back for a second helping (literally as well as musically – did we mention free vegan dinners?). We felt very at home with these people, especially when we heard this story –
“A cop walks into a vegan coop one day and orders breakfast. While he’s eating one of the coop members approaches him and says “Sir – I’m going to have to ask you to hand in your gun here cus this is a safe space and we regard your gun as a symbol of violence and oppression” to which the cop with incredulity replies “I’m Sorry…….?!” Then the penny drops, he pushes his food away unfinished and in disgust, stomps out and the place has been cop free ever since”. We then drove to Kitchener which we were led to believe would be like arriving in a revolutionary zone….”Everything will be better after Kitchener………”
DAY SEVEN
We woke up to wall to wall revolution and anarchy and we knew that all the fabled tales of Kitchener as a hot bed of revolt were true. Posters for demos, political meetings and plain disrespect for authority adorned the walls as well as one of the most impressive collections of radical books we have seen in a while since leaving Kebele Library. We knew we had arrived in the House of Anarchy!
After pulling ourselves away from anarcho-book heaven and a long awaited call from back home we headed out to visit friends WPIRG (Waterloo Public Interest Research Group) on the university campus. WPIRG provides resources for and promotes involvement in radical politics, organising and action for social and environmental justice. Impressively organised and a very welcoming space its clear they do a lot of good work and the people there are great. Their literature and organising is being put to good use at the moment fighting the Line 9 Reversal to pump tar sands from Alberta to Montreal, rough riding indigenous communities and local community organisations risking a massive environmental disaster. This pipeline was built in the 70’s, has been out of use and the company involved is dodgy to say the least. As well as building pipeline shenanigans the directors are involved in massive prison building programs as the communities out west suffer the effects of the wild west style influx and expansion of a particularly grim form of rampant capitalism. Solidarity with all the pipeline resistors and indigenous land struggles.
After all this talk of revolution and anti-capitalist action it was time for some shopping! The one who shall not be named had true to form left all his clothes in Montreal (6 bloody hours away) so it was decided for everyone’s benefit to sort him a new wardrobe courtesy of the local thrift store, Value Village – a seemingly righteous reuse and recycling company which we have since learned ain’t so and is in fact owned by a for profit private equity company, the friendly face of capitalism eh? Missed opportunity! Darn it. We knew we had sinned as we stepped outside to a massive hail storm, sent to punish us.
The Yoof Wing stepped up and did a highly enjoyable radio interview with Eric from Quebec based Prescription Punk Rock on CKRL 89.1fm talking about the tour, mixing music and politics and generally large amounts of giggling. Hopefully we’ll get to meet him in person at our Montreal show on the 5th. Next up was a top dinner and house party with a bunch of the local trouble makers – it certainly felt like the gang was all here. Some good political chit chat and comparing notes with members of Rebel Time Records, WPIRG and Common Cause. Common Cause is a very committed and inspiring anti-capitalist organisation which gets a lot of good work done and appears very strong on maintaining a intentional approach to organising collectively. They’re not shy of a healthy bit of self-critique but are aware of the trap of self-analysis becoming paralysis. We like them a lot and sure heck they know how to party, Kitchener style mixing politics with fun. On the subject of mixing the Yoof Wing were at the controls of the jukebox and a great time was had by all, expect maybe for the landlord – back at ya! The night before when we arrived he was partaking in some sonic warfare with his tenants after having the gall to call the cops before when the tenants had a well mannered house party. Needless to say we gave as good as we got. One law for them and one for us? We don’t think so!
After a enjoyable late night walk in the local graveyard we divided our resources, the elder statesmen of the band interacted with the local frat boys on the football (soccer…..?) pitch. We bonded with some local drunk students who boosted our confidence in our ball skills and abilities. There was a whole lot of dribbling going on. We got to see some fancy footwork from RTR Phil, a danger man and one to watch……
DAY EIGHT
We awoke with trembling hearts ready for the mighty Rebel Fest, but first things first we had to assemble the tempeh production line to make the band food for Friday night. The truly excellent “From Bristol with Love” radio show blasted throughout the house and animated the workers. We arrived in Hamilton at Rebel Fest and saw the Rebel Time Records crew in full swing. Impressive stuff! The venue was adorned with top political banners from Common Cause, IWW and local anarchists. The infoshop/merch stalls were a sight to behold. We met up with the Toronto IWW and Ben got cleaned out by a big IWW shop. These folk have some seriously good agitprop. We heard a bit about the refuellers strike at Toronto Airport – the industry standard of pay is $16-18 bucks an hour but they’re only getting $12. Toronto IWW are getting properly stuck in with 3 occupations so far of the main access to the airport and numerous solidarity actions and presence on the picket lines. We wish them all the best with they’re struggle and a quick victory. Go Wobblies!
Hamilton is a similar sized town to Bristol with a declining manufacturing base and workers suffering the effects of multinational corporations broken promises. Once trade tariffs were abolished US companies have bought up the locals, taken the money and run, rinsing the workers in the process. Yet again peoples lives are being ruined in the endless capitalist quest for profits at any cost. It seems like once strong unions have been demoralised and defeated and lost a lot of power but hopefully they can take inspiration from current struggle and reclaim the feeling of winning again…
The gig and all the bands were amazing and we were pleased to see the Montreal advance party who warned of more coming the next day! We made new friends with the Class Assassins who supported us loads throughout our show when “technical difficulties” ensued. Big shout to Chris from the Assassins and Kaitlin from Brutal Youth who recognised we needed a bit of looking after….punk unity! After a cracking night the Spanner seniors were ready for a house party, in the face of overwhelming pressure from the IWW and the Montreal crew. However the Yoof Wing stepped up exercising the voice of reason, reminding us we were in it for the long game. We retreated to Mr Big’s mountaintop bunker for a civilised night cap and banana bread.
DAY NINE
We began the day with a stonking breakfast courtesy of Mr Big who’s concerns over matching the epic efforts of Montreal friends were unfounded. We met his family and his kid gave us hope for the next generation with Star Wars on the piano and The Clash at full blast. He was right up for a little mosh with Nick and some Tai Chi with Ben in the garden – he taught us both a few things. We will be watching this one with interest! Then it was round 2 of the tempeh wrap production frenzy with Toronto vs New York on the big screen and well needed rest and recuperation.
We then headed back down to the venue, This Ain’t Hollywood for day 2 of Rebel Fest! There was a serious risk of peaking too early and knackering ourselves out dancing to old and new friends in all the great bands. We linked up again with the phenomenal Farler’s Fury and felt pretty euphoric all night. We had a really fun gig with black and red flags flying high, but not as high as the crowd surfers (who were out in force but respectful of the crowd). The same could not be said of 1 dance floor douche-bag who was all over the place and overbearing. Fail. What was great though was seeing at least 5 different people go and have a quiet word which did have some affect on his worst antics, we later heard that a couple of comrades did some talking with elbows instead. We respect a diversity of tactics in these matters. We were all buzzing during the gig, especially Richie after the Gas drew 3-3 with Torquay with a last minute equaliser on the last day of the season!
We continued proceedings at the house party conveniently located just the down the street. We split our forces in a hearts and minds operation with Richie, in a shocking display of being sensible, getting a early night at mission control, Woody cementing our friendship with the Montreal punks, Nick the sofa and Ben anyone who would listen!
We just want to say at this point how much we enjoyed Rebel Fest and massive respect for all the crew there and involved in the organising from Rebel Time Records – these friends know how to organise, throw and enjoy a party. They too know how to mix politics and fun! They put a lot of work into creating a safe space for everyone and show that revolutionary politics are as much about our interactions with each other as attacking the state. It appears they are quite successful at this as it was one of the best run and friendly events we’ve ever seen. We will be back……
DAY TEN
While Richie awoke safe and sound at mission control back in Kitchener, things were not so smooth for the party boys. The yoof wing were found to be missing in action, with Nick going for a nice little walk to the lake and getting a bit lost, and Woody ending up in the hotel of the partying punks and skins. Apparently it was in a state of occupation by the Montreal crew. Details of what went on there are unclear. Luckily, Holly, clearly used to this sort of thing, took control of the cat herding operation, with back up from Richie back at base. In social work terms, she says, these sorts of behaviours are termed “system disrupters”. Quite. At the hotel, the receptionist was a bit non-plussed at our efforts to locate Woody, with no name or any useful information available. Here’s an excerpt from that conversation. Ben: “He’s a good lucking young man, scantily clad and quite charming. Looks a bit like Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran.” Receptionist: “Who’s Simon Le Bon?” Finally we managed to pull everyone together and our getaway driver Holly gave us safe passage back to Kitchener. Thanks Holly. You rock!!!
After such a big weekend our hosts Rebel Time thought it would be a nice idea for us to then go do a workshop about autonomous spaces and social centre organising with local student activists in Guelph! After a quick pull by cops for seeing how many anarchists we could fit in a car we arrived at OPIRG, late, but ready for action! Against all odds and despite some traditional technical issues, the workshop went very well and hopefully will contribute to ongoing efforts to establish a radical social centre in the city. Next time we come we hope to visit their social centre and liberated zone!
It was definitely a takeaway night, and the vegan Chinese dinner was a perfect end to the weekend. Then it was boardgames, where Ben feigned stupidity (“I ain’t thick it’s just a trick”) in a proper art of war style strategy, while Richie smacked it (sorry, Holly! ;-)) emerged victorious in the hard fought and only a little bit competitive game of “Dominion”. Amy had her revenge in a furious poo flinging showdown with Ben (note to readers and disclaimer, this is just a card game!). The yoof wing had crashed early, bless ’em and the rest of us fell asleep while watching “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, disappointingly, before the bit when the apes go rioting. Ah well. Anyway, Rebel fest was a riot!!!
DAY ELEVEN
We started the day in Kitchener ready for the long drive to Windsor. After a hectic weekend it took us a long time to get our heads round what had happened so we went to Queens St Commons cafe, a fantastic workers coop and community space with cheap, tasty vege/vegan food. We know we’ll be back there for more top food as well as an autonomous spaces workshop on Wednesday.
When we got to Windsor we had a wander down to the river to look at the land of the free with tour guide Brad who described life in Detroit for us and helped us identify the bankrupt, rotting corpse of the auto industry. Their towers might be standing for now but you know what they say about today’s empires…..
We played a show at the FM lounge and introduced Farlers Fury to the delights of cheap sherry. the show was put on by great local ska band the Nefidovs. The gig felt like it was against all odds as the technical difficulties piled up and the locals weren’t allowed to dance freely. A no moshing policy on the dance floor was quite shocking and we made a concerted effort to expose the ridiculous nature of this particular rule with some crazy dancing and borderline moves which kept security twitching. We went back to the Nefidovs place and had a proper little garage shindig until the birds were singing! Next stop London…….
DAY TWELVE
London calling.
The day started at the “Whistling Kettle”, ticking the authentic country diner experience box for the tour. Not much on offer for the vegans here. Brad from Farler’s Fury got a reprimand from a somewhat disgusted waitress for “bottom feeding”, i.e. recycling someone’s barely touched plate of chips. After filling our boots it was then off to London a few hours away (we’ve come to accept 3 hour drives as short journeys now!) for another gig with Broadcast Zero. First stop was falafel and the best so far it was too! We heard about the place over the road; how it used to be a great punk venue and social space but got burned down, without doubt by the landlord, to get “developed” into what it is now, an exclusive bar for the more affluent. Social cleansing and gentrification has been wreaking insidious class war in Canadian towns and cities for some time now and we’ve seen so many parallels with the situation back home.
After a kickabout in the venue car park as we waited for a beer delivery, we loaded in to “Call The Office”, a great little independent live music venue. Team Spanner went into action to help the barman store a huge stack of beer crates and got free pool and cold beers as our reward from a very grateful and overstretched barman. This warmed us up nicely for a top gig with zany dancing aplenty. This is probably where Ben put his back out trying to dance like a teenager. Falafel round 2 at the end of the night was as good as the first, then it was back to revolutionary Kitchener for a few hours sleep before Mayday celebrations next day.
DAY THIRTEEN
Mayday
So, let us get this straight, to celebrate international worker’s day, which we usually take off from work to relax from the strain and stresses of drudgery, we’re set to work doing not one, but two house moves! WTF?! Pretty sure this wasn’t in the contract. But as the whip was cracked by Phil “the gaffer” Rebel Time, there was no time to unionise or march on the boss. Instead we found ourselves in a human chain of Fordist proportions. Really though, we were very pleased to be able to lend a hand to good friends from Rebel Time who had helped us out so much with various aspects of the tour. The moves were a beautiful metaphor for mutual aid and cooperation and the workers were singing all the way up the stairs (to the second floor!) such timeless worker’s classics as Yaz’s “The only way is up” and “I like to move it, move it” to help keep it pacey.
After the house movements it was on to some seriously gorgeous pancakes (courtesy of cordon rouge et noir chef and all round geezer, Marco), card games and Sangria at our mate Holly’s. While Nick celebrated his birthday, getting a bit day drunk with the crew, Ben had a bit of a plumbing accident trying to sort blocked water pipes for Holly and succeeded in washing the kitchen floor and himself with waste water. Should have called a pro in, really. Next up was a game of boules and footie in the park under the watchful surveillance of some custodians of the peace, munching doughnuts in their van and generally being an irritating presence.
Next it was time for another workshop on social centre organising at the Queen Street Commons café in
Kitchener. Some 20 people showed up and there was plenty of good discussion and participation.
Hopefully the workshop will contribute to building momentum and motivation for creating a radical
social centre in the city. The will certainly appears to be there and there are plenty of good comrades up
to the job…
Meanwhile, the rest of the Spanner crew were busy preparing for tonight’s gig, with Woody and Nick
out on the streets on a charm offensive, working their magic with gig flyers in hand. The gig was totally
packed, very lively and a great celebration of both nick’s birthday and Mayday. We played on floor level,
which is always our preference, and we were proud to play to such a fine crowd of punks, anarchists
and good people. The bar is one of those city centre, well heeled sort of places where we would not
usually tread, but for a while we made it ours. Broadcast Zero played their last show with us and were
on fire. There was some uncontrollable dancing and lots of fun. There was also a solid challenge laid
down to the United Radicals local football team and a game was set for the next day.
Mayday is a day for remembering those who have struggled before us for a better world. We remember
and honour anarchists and revolutionaries murdered by the state, from Haymarket to the present day.
We recognise the need to continue the long and difficult fight for revolutionary change and to work for a
world based on cooperation, solidarity and freedom, free from domination, poverty and inequality.
In Canada, we need to recognise the shameful history of colonisation and genocide waged against the
indigenous people here. We’ve learned about the sickening racism and atrocities of the “residential
schools”, where indigenous children, forcibly separated from their families, were routinely subjected to
psychological and physical abuse. Documented evidence shows how many were killed by being
deliberately exposed to other children with tuberculosis. The trauma suffered by a colonised people is
reflected in the everyday reality of harsh life on the reservations, characterised by social decay, poverty
and alcoholism. Indigenous people are hugely overrepresented in Canada’s jails, a testament to
systemic, institutionalised racism. Kitchener is an accurate representation of the bigger picture of
dispossession and betrayal. Six Nations people were used as pawns in colonial wars and promised land
alongside the Grand River in return. This promise was broken and land agreements have never been
honoured by settlers since.
However, in the face of it all, Six Nations people continue their proud history of struggle , resisting
further corporate takeovers of their lands and fighting for their rights to land and a dignified life. The unity of First Nation tribes is helping to block the development of new oil pipe lines and has forced the desperate moves relating to the Line 9 Reversal.
DAY FOURTEEN
After breakfast there followed a long walk in sweltering heat to the football pitch for a much anticipated
game with the local anarcho footie team, United Radicals. We quickly realised the long walk was
part of a wider strategy to test and/or weaken our resolve. Unbowed, and feeling pretty warmed up, we
arrived late. Numbers were down somewhat from the expected hordes, with Spanner stepping forward
with two of the best, to be met by three local champions. Unfortunately, we didn’t get time for a game,
as we had to leave for Barrie, but we sure gave ‘em a taste of things to come…
Next up was the small town of Barrie, and the excellent DIY community arts space. As we went in we
knew we were in the right place. A great venue which hosts kid’s activities, women’s and trans groups,
food not bombs and cultural events. They have been going a year and a half and are clearly very
creative, learning a lot on their feet and making the road by walking it. The last of the workshops on
autonomous spaces and social centre organising was really well attended, with a really good level of
discussion and participation.
The gig saw some frantic dancefloor action as the locals presented their champion skankers. But the gig
was just the beginning of a seriously rowdy night as everyone seemed to coincide in agreement that it
was party night! Things got rowdy with an impromptu punk karaoke marathon, a death metal jam
session, late night keepy uppy and much hilarity. Thankfully there were no immediate neighbours to
keepy uppy! As a very drunken night took hold, some took a break from the mayhem, choosing their
moment to see some of the sights of the town. Local dumpster divers gave us a tour of the town’s skips
and some successful urban foraging provided our bagel, bread and crisps needs for the next few days.
Ben got stuck in a skip as a car pulled up. Thinking it may be cops he made like a rubbish bag, only to
Receive a barrage of bin bags, most of which narrowly missed his head, courtesy of a late night fly tipper.
We saw the funny side. Back at DIY the fervour had abated somewhat by the time the scavengers
returned at 4am. All in all a top night and some new friends made again!
DAY FIFTEEN
After a hard nights partying there was a distinct lack of sleep and a sluggish start to the day. A scavenged bagel breakfast set us up for a long hot drive to Ottawa and after goodbyes to our new friends from the Barrie DIY Crew we were on our way.
Ben managed to pick up some snazzy shorts for his wardrobe and Jody engaged in roadside turtle rescue then we were reunited with the might Jon Creeden on route to the capital. It was another falafel stop for the spanner boys and we got to meet Brads folks at the show, he was on best behaviour without having to check his stage presence. The crowd was a bit standoffish but appreciative and we managed to shift some of our dwindling merch. Brads brother Mathieu put us up and Nick got a zombie attack in on the flyscreen. A good night.
DAY SIXTEEN
We had an impressive drive to Sherbrooke encountering the wilderness and dust. Suddenly a dog appeared and we were inches away from roadkill. Luckily Ben jumped out and rescued the dog from the bourgeois horse riders who didn’t care one bit. We weren’t impressed. There were shiny signs in opposition to the asphalt factory which was good to see. After traversing through the hills of Quebec we arrived at the lake which was massive. We dipped in it and felt the coldness of the chilly Canadian waters run through our bones.
Sherbrooke was hot and this called for a stir fry extravaganza! Farler’s Fury were literally on fire and it was an honor to watch their 300th show with much dancing to be had by all. Spanner overcame some technical setbacks with the knowledge of mute lead buttons.
We met a Sherbrooke anarchist group and heard exciting news about a new space, art focus. The night finished off with some vegan pizza which was actually quite disappointing. No zombie attacks this night.
DAY SEVENTEEN
Bit of an emotional day today as this was the day of the our last gig with our mates Farler’s Fury. A top bit of urban foraging lifted the slightly melancholic mood and we ate well on the way to Montreal. On arrival, we had our doubts about the venue, which looked like a right hipster haunt. And the Mexican food up the road was totally duff. Disgruntled, from Bristol. Vegan ice cream just across the street helped Ben cope and as local friends started arriving we knew that the punks and skins from the city would not let us play in an empty yuppie bar! We heard news from comrades about the Mayday demo in the city which was heavily repressed by cops, with a mass arrest of 447 people and plenty of beatings from the thugs in uniform. Seems like it’s hammer time as the authorities are taking the gloves off with increasing levels of police violence together with their much hated new laws against public demonstrations. We were pleased to hear that there will be a campaign of mass non payment of fines resulting from the arrests. We hope the rebels and resisters of Montreal stay solid and carry on fighting! We learned the slogan of the week from our good friends and comrades: “A pie, a cheval ou en helicoptere, un bon flic est au cimitiere”. Agreed. For more information about the information about the situation in Montreal see rebeltimerecords.com and click on the podcast.
The Fury boys got the dance going fast and furious, as is their tendency, and the place was jumping when we played. This was without a doubt one of the best gigs this tour as a fitting transformation of the hipsters bar into one mutha of a moshpit took hold. Our elation was mixed with a bit of melancholy as we helped the lads from Farler’s Fury’s put backline to bed for one last time. Then it was off to the excellent “Yer Mad” bar to continue the party and have a goodbye drink with the local punks and skins. We talked tactics and politics mixed with plain and simple banter and got an offer of a tour in Mexico! To be continued… After a last photo and farewell it was back to Farler’s Fury Brad’s for an all nighter. There was fun, games and much hilarity until sunrise and a long awaited Trailer Park Boys session which had us doubled up laughing. The yoof wing were again MIA having gone rogue some time earlier, but Nick made sure the Spanner seniors were tucked up snugly before heading out.
At this point we want to say a huge thank you to Farler’s Fury for making us feel so welcome, helping us out so much and being so fucking rad, for providing the necessaries for some top dances and for being such a good laugh as well as good people and an ass kickingly great band on top of all that. It was a total pleasure to tour with you and this will be a good example of how solid friendships know no borders! We’ll be seeing you again geezers! Keep doin’ it. Love and respect.
DAY EIGHTEEN
The hunt for breakfast took too long today and the last thing we needed was a stroppy cafe manager, but that’s exactly what we got. The waitress from hell clearly didn’t like the cut of our gib and pretty much refused to serve us. But we prevailed, locating a top little caff just down the street. Then it was time for Ben to get reunited with his clothes and goodbyes to the good lads from Farler’s Fury and the lovely Poutine. Lovely dog, but fancy calling your dog “Cheesy chips with gravy”!? After another nosy cop half heartedly trying to assert their authority, we headed out, really late, towards Kingston for our last gig of the tour. Farler’s Fury were still with us full blast with their go faster mix of punk and folk, bringing good memories and smiles aplenty (as well as a bit of welling up!). Top band, top people. We missed them already, and we also missed their spacious van! The journey was tough, buried under our rucksacks (“Pretty sure it didn’t look like this in the contract, PHIL!!!”). Solid navigation from Richie, hard driving from “long haul” Phil and a back seat sandwich bar that defied prevailing conditions, got us through to Kingston, only one hour late. We arrived just as the other band, the Beta 58s, were loading in. We were excited to be at the Sleepless Goat for a second helping and wasted no time in securing vegan burritos, hot chocolate and whopper cookies. Big thanks to Jessie, Maggie and the crew there, who recognised our time of need as delayed action hangovers kicked in, and made us burritos especially. We had a nice surprise as our mate Elys from DIY in Barrie had made the trip down for our last gig. The world needs more people like her and all the crew from the Sleepless Goat. A good sized crowd was clearly right up for it and the Beta 58s, with a fierce street punk sound, got the dance going. They were really good and very generous to share their backline with us. Nice one guys! We had a cracking last gig and there was one helluva dance as the cafe filled with a fun loving, very diverse crowd. At one point a bunch of big blokes came in and there was some concern (in the context of this being a military town with 3 bases and also 3 prisons) amongst partygoers as they didn’t seem like the usual crowd. But they were just lads out on the lash and had a good time of it as well. A little reminder, perhaps, that we’d do well not to make such quick assumptions or treat people with suspicion due to subcultural (or dare we say, class?) prejudices. However, we were right about the intentions of the next one through the door. Luckily, it was during our last song and when we’d already had our fun that the cops turned up to shut the party down. We feel like maybe we didn’t got off on the right foot with the cops here and this incursion was just the latest in a list of annoyances. Anyway, we didn’t want to cause trouble for the Goat crew, so agreed to cut the last song short. Just wish we had a cover of “Oh no, it’s the pigs” by PAIN at the ready for that one.
Packed of with lush muffins and bread from the awesome Sleepless Goat bakery, a ferocious round of sock wrestling followed in the street outside. Elys emerged victorious, having come prepared with knee length socks under tight jeans! There’s gotta be a rule against that somewhere! We stayed at Rocko and Josh from Beta 58’s bachelor pad out in the sticks and very nice it was too!
DAY NINETEEN
As far as a perfect end to a truly epic tour goes, we couldn’t get any better. After a top breakfast on the garden lawn we headed out for a bit of lake and woods time before dropping the yoof wing, Nick and Woody, at Toronto airport. The lake and woods were gorgeous and we had the place to ourselves. Richie’s wild side quickly emerged and his sun protection measures gave hime a certain feral appearance. Ben had a swim with a river snake and Phil kept pouring our highly prized maple syrup away, somehow missing the sandwich at close range. PHIL!!! Then it was off to the airport for goodbyes as Woody and Nick headed out over the pond. Good job boys! What a blast! Love and respect to all the great people who have made this tour happen, all the top bands we’ve played with and all the amazing people, friends and comrades we’ve met. Full thanks and more photos to follow shortly (after some well needed sleep!)…
Huge thanks to all the following for looking after us, putting us up, putting up with us and helping to make tour so totally awesome and rad!:
The Rebel Time Records crew, who understand about mixing radical politics and fun and know about putting the hard work in where it counts, always with an eye on organising reflecting the sort of world we want to see: the unstoppable Phil, the hugely solid Mr. Big and his lovely family, Holly, Amy, Alisha, Tammy and Jean, the organisers and all round great women, the brilliant Dan, Alex, Alisha, Mike, Johan and Kim – what a solid crew!
Then there’s Farler’s Fury, of course, as well as all the top bands who played with us, all the top people who put on shows for us, Elys and the Barrie DIY crew, the Sleepless Goat mob, Montreal RASH and punks n skins, Anne, Julie and Marie Pier, all the good people who showed up for us, bought merch, cooked food, talked with and shared some top moments with us, supported the tour and the local scene, and all the lovely people who gave us a place to stay. We’re sure we’ve forgotten some and maybe didn’t get to meet some people working behind the scenes, so big thanks to all you too! We’re really grateful and inspired by everyone we’ve met and what we’ve seen going on here. Stay solid. Keep doin’ it! We’ll be back!…
Here’s some of the wicked bands we were lucky enough to play with and get to know as well as some of the soundtrack that kept us going on some of the long roads across Canada:
Jeunesse Apatride, The Maggoty Brats, Jon Creedan, Broadcast zero, The Fallout, Beat Noir, Steeltown Spoilers, Class Assassins, At What Cost, The Nefidovs, Mayday, Action Sedition, Hold a Grudge, Brutal youth, Stick and Poke, Crisis Conspiracy, The Beta 58s and of course the mighty Farler’s Fury!
And in the car, providing the go faster road music we had (as well as all the above!) Obrint Pas, Brigada Flores Magon, Ya Basta!, Banda Bassotti, Bob Marley, SNAFU, D.O.A., Jesse Lebourdais, Cambridge, The Rebel Spell, Brat Attack and some unsolicited, but pretty damn euphoric, cheezy pop.
Rebel Time Records 
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