The Burning Hell in heaven in Newfoundland
The Saturday, June 2, lineup at The Ship was stacked, and there was no chance in (The Burning) hell that I could conscientiously overlook such an incredible lineup, featuring local acts Lo Siento, Thelma & Louise and Ontario legends The Burning Hell.
Lo Siento were first on the evening’s bill. Fronted by visual artist Pepa Chan, threepiece Lo Siento have created a unique sound, blending punk rock and a smattering of pop sub-genres, like indie, sunshine, twee, power, and garage pop, with Spanish lyrics.
Their extremely catchy songs burrow into your brain, and I still have riffs and lyrics from “No Es No” off their 2017 album “Bingo Bango” stuck in my head.
Lo Siento, which translates to “I’m sorry,” mimics how I feel for not having seen this amazing band before this year’s Lawnya Vawnya..
Headliners The Burning Hell (TBH) were next to hit the stage, the crowd warmed up and ready to dance to their familiar tunes.
A non-local local band, as one fan called them, Peterborough band TBH came to Newfoundland for the first time back in approximately 2007, playing as a 12-piece band, bassist Darren “Boobie” Brown recalled. TBH had a gig at The Rose and Thistle on a Wednesday night, and “by Friday, you couldn’t get near the place,” Brown said. “It was maggoty!”
Tearful when departing for their Ontario home, TBH were clearly struck by their time in Newfoundland, eventually making a permanent move to the island.
Launching into their set shortly after midnight, TBH mainstays Ariel Sharratt and Mathias Kom wowed the crowd from the get-go, switching instruments mid-song, without missing a beat.
Accompanied by locals Darren Brown and Jake Nicoll, the band played a highly energetic set for a deeply appreciative audience.
The dance floor dense with bodies, I retreated to the back of The Ship, unwittingly sitting myself behind the merch table. Two songs later, I was running the merch table, peddling tees and eight of TBH’S many albums, simultaneously scribbling notes about the amazing show.
Playing a mix of new and older material, the multi-talented multi-instrumentalists rotated around the stage, switching out and swapping instruments to perform songs about growing up, creating music, crashing weddings and much more, their rapid-fire lyrics offering a witty and insightful take on the many facets of the human experience.
Repeatedly thanking the crowd and The Ship, St. John’s and the island as a whole, The Burning Hell finished off their set with “Amateur Rappers,” a song that features The Ship in its music video.
Local four-piece Thelma & Louise finished off the evening with a rousing set of cover songs.
In between karaoke hits like Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” Tony Basil’s “Hey Mickey,” Hole’s “Violet” and many more recognizable party starters, the band sang “Happy Birthday” to TBH birthday girl Sharratt, with Kom hitting the stage with a cake adorned with lit matches.
This celebration added to the incredibly happy and fun vibes. The crowd loved every minute of T&L’S set, which culminated in an absolutely phenomenal medley of Peaches songs.
Ya never know what you’ll see or hear in The Ship on a Saturday night, but it’ll probably be awesome, like LS/TBH/T&L’S June 2 spectacle.
“The dance floor dense with bodies, I retreated to the back of The Ship, unwittingly sitting myself behind the merch table. Two songs later, I was running the merch table, peddling tees and eight of TBH’S many albums, simultaneously scribbling notes about the amazing show.”