The Ontario trio The Dirty Nil graced the stage at Off Broadway Friday night after possibly making someone’s day earlier somewhere in St. Louis (or maybe they just scared the heck outta them).
The band was happy to be back in St. Louis, this their second time performing in the Gateway to the West, although a recent change in the lineup made it the first time for bassist Sam Tomlinson. Tomlinson quickly embraced the small (≈ 100) tightly-packed, college-age crowd after a fan bought them all shots exclaiming “you guys rule. St. Louis is cool.”
Supporting their January 2021 album, F*ck Art this rock/light punk/gritty pop band announced a short 10-day tour back in July but quickly added several dates which made St. Louis fall somewhere in the middle of their Ride or Die junket.
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil
Some of the boyish banter Singer/Guitarist Luke Bentham brought in 2019 has been replaced by more rock ’n’ roll glitz but the evident joy on his face and in his actions to be performing is still there front and center. This Exclaim! review that The Dirty Nil are no longer underdogs and are on their way is, in this writer’s opinion, spot on. And it was evident with the rabid attention of the mostly male fans who sang along to the chorus at top volume on “Auf Wiedersehen,” “Damage Control” and others. We predict this tour will be the last time you’ll be able to see The Dirty Nils so up close and personal.
Whitby Canada’s Chastity opened the night with a 35-minute set of what Brandon Williams (frontman and, well, really Chastity) has carved out into his own brand of music. Blending several genres from shoegaze to punk to metal and noise-rock, you’re not quite sure which song will pique your interest. More than once Williams deadpanned that “this next song Sun Poisoning” or “this next song Chains” was his best song. Tall and lanky, Williams dressed his suburban persona from the letter jacket to the slipper shoes without a hint of irony.
We’ll let the many more photos from the Dec. 3 concert speak louder than the words with this review: https://bit.ly/DirtyNil21cz
Setlist is here. See what’s coming up next at Off Broadway, where you’re never more than 40 feet away from the band.
Chastity
Chastity
Chastity
