Swedish fuzz lords Truckfighters are currently on the second leg of their North American tour, and Calgary warmly welcomed the trio to Distortion on March 23rd. Their first ever show in Calgary, the venue unsurprisingly sold out and hundreds of really excited desert rock fans converged to experience the band’s crazy live experience.
If you’ve ever seen a Truckfighters show, you know what crazy means. These guys put on one of the most engaging, energetic shows yours truly has ever seen, and regardless of the size of the stage, an adrenaline-fueled show is guaranteed when it comes to the Swedish masters of fuzz.
There is always going to be three noticeable elements in the crowd at a show like this: many, many, desert rock band tshirts, lots of sweaty, bearded dudes and massive, joyous grins. Thursday night at Distortion was no exception. This crowd has waited a long time to see Truckfighters do their thing, and nothing was going to get in the way of a good time.
Kicking off the night was Calgary band Woodhawk. Presenting a happy, stoked vibe on stage, Woodhawk wore their influences proudly on their sleeves, and as the band played their set, I could hear hat tips to the likes of Red Fang and Canadian legends C’mon woven into the core of their music. Woodhawk got the crowd going early with their own brand of dynamic bass lines and catchy choruses. With their latest album ‘Beyond the Sun’ coming out on the 31st, Woodhawk are bound to impress fans beyond Calgary’s city limits with their amazing sound.
Next on the bill were We Hunt Buffalo from Vancouver, B.C. This three piece have an infectious groove to them. With songs like “Back to the River”, there is a serious stoner rock attitude about the band both aurally and visually. It became apparent that the support bands on the bill really complemented each-other. The crowd responded approvingly with fist pumps as We Hunt Buffalo played an exceptional set.
I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was to see California’s Yawning Man live until after the fact. This legendary band, who inspired the likes of John Garcia, and Josh Homme, were very different to the two previous bands on the bill. For those who don’t know, Yawning Man have been around since the mid-80’s and were one of the first bands on the desert rock scene. What was really impressive about them was the absence of a singer. An instrumental jam band would need to be dynamic enough to fill whatever space was created without a singer, and Yawning Man does it well. The funky bass lines, the delicate guitar solos and the diverse drum beats all come together nicely to form a beautiful, relaxed sound that every face in that crowd appreciated. It was a lovely addition to the night’s already great line up and got the fans ready for the main event.
By the time Truckfighters took to the stage, the crowd had gathered closely together in anticipation for the show. Guitarist Dango got on stage and immediately ripped his shirt off, throwing it into the crowd. As the set began, Dango became the human wind-up toy – jumping and scissor kicking his way across the stage – and got right up in the front row’s faces as he played along, wild-eyed and tongue sticking out. Drummer Lobo was just as animated, and would stand up from the drum kit between songs, resting his arms on his cymbals as he surveyed the crowd. Touring their latest album ‘V’, I had hoped to hear more songs from the record, but was very happy to have heard my favorite, “Calm before the Storm”. As the set continued, the energy of the crowd picked up and some very happy faces appeared, smiling and sweating profusely.
Truckfighters are very good at engaging their audience, and at one point bassist Ozo stood up on the fold back and stared into the crowd, daring them to get closer and clap their hands. I was prepared to see some live action crowd surf/bass playing from him as has been known to happen at Truckfighters shows from time to time. With safety in mind I very bravely decided to move away from the front row before anything like that potentially happened! Closing the show with the epic “Desert Cruiser” from their 2005 masterpiece ‘Gravity X,’ the view from the rear of the crowd was incredible; unified fists pumping in the air as Dango, Ozo, and Lobo continued their live assault.
The awesome thing about seeing Truckfighters live is the energy they share with the people who come to their shows. It doesn’t matter if they are playing to 10,000 metalheads in a tent at Hellfest, a tiny lane way in downtown Melbourne, or if they’re in front of a few hundred loyal fans in a small town. Their show is always consistent: big riffs, big energy, and a really, really fun live experience. I hope they were sufficiently impressed with us to come back again soon.