As a guy who just moved to Edmonton, I am very excited to explore the music scene here. The closest thing to live music I’ve experienced in the last month has been Fortnite Guitar Hero, so when I heard about a show with a band called ‘Refrijerater’ headlining, I jumped at the opportunity, and I didn’t regret it.
I arrived at Club 97 around 8:20 PM on Oct. 24. Some upbeat jazz was playing, a couple folks were sitting around with some drinks, and merch tables were long set up— just an incredibly chill environment that did not prepare me for the night ahead at all.
The night started with Die Job, and they were the perfect opener. It sounded a lot like Green Day in all of the best ways, except with an electric viola taking the place of one of the guitars, and they had an electric drummer. There was a lot of interaction with the crowd, with almost every song being dedicated to seemingly random members of the audience; it was really great stuff.
The second band was Vargouille, who brought something very different to the stage. I thought I’d hear the singer yell “KILLING IN THE NAME OF” if that says anything about their sound.
The room shook from the pounding drums, two electric guitars, an electric bass, and a singer whose microphone was fixed in place. They even had a ‘follow your dreams’ moment in the middle of a song.
Needless to say, it was incredibly sick. It was impossible not to headbang.
Next up was Bikini Kill, who shared a group hug and played with a lighter as they set up. They went on to play one of the most intense and active sets I have ever seen.
There was some form of a mosh pit almost the entire time, except for when literally everyone sat down and had a conversation about the state of Canada. The band emphasized the need to look out for everyone around us, regardless of who they are or where they come from. The singer was sprinting through the crowd for most of it, the guitarist jumped into the middle of the pit to shred, and the bassist ripped an absolutely insane solo. I almost lost my shoe in the pit, too, so that was awesome.
Finally, Refrijerater closed out the night, and I genuinely have trouble describing it. They brought a completely different sound than all the other bands, something that jumped between fast and slow and felt random yet meticulously thought out.
Everyone around me seemed to know the lyrics to all the songs and sang along the whole time, while I certainly tried my best. For my first time listening, it was awesome. They reminded me of Geese in some ways, but I think there was a song dedicated to their dislike of Geese. I would say more, but I don’t think I can swear in a student publication.
I could feel that the whole band was playing on the same wavelength, and it felt so different from anything I’ve heard. I had to ask Refrijerater’s lead singer and MacEwan student, Duncan Stewart, about it.
“It’s like punk music but not,” he said.
“I’m really into Tom Waits and his lyrical style and his storytelling, so I try to do things similar to that, but I like a lot of music. Primus is a big influence; that’s what probably the biggest one is. Punk bands like the Dead Kennedys, I’m a really big fan of them.”
“It’s really tough to describe.”
He mentioned that this was their fourth show of the month, with one every weekend except Halloween. It was “a bit much,” according to Stewart. They’ll appreciate a month off until their next show at the Aviary on November 28th. He didn’t seem to regret the experience.
“It’s fun,” he said. “It’s a good time— we have so many songs that you got to try to make a different set list each time. It’s a good time every time.”
