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Earplugs were absolutely necessary at the 9:30 Club last night for the sonic onslaught of the Fidlar and Metz show. Metz kicked off the night with a sound—think Nirvana, but heavier, louder, and just as melodic—that inspired the young audience to pogo in unison like they were at Glastonbury during the entire set. It was passionate mania so intensely played that by the band’s last song, 2012’s “Wet Blanket,” guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins was visibly spent, and all of them drenched in sweat. Metz is the best thing to come out of Toronto since Rush.
Fidlar, who last played D.C. in 2012 as an opener for the Hives, has gone from being four young California skate punks to an incredibly tight fourpiece that’s reaching outside of its three-chord comfort zone—and really making it work. Not any old post-punk band would marry punk riffs with slide guitar or have the guts to cover “Lodi” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fidlar is really living up to the meaning of its acronym name (“Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk”).
See photos from both sets in the gallery.