If you’ve ever been to Lee’s, you know that the stage is four feet high, which leads to a lot of “up from below” shots from a photographer’s perspective.  That said, the venue is a definite upgrade from the Wreckroom, where Weedeater made its last two Toronto appearances.  Bigger stage, better sound and a much higher capacity, to boot!

Opening band Fight Amp, a decent sludge/math or math/sludge band–take your pick–weren’t the most photogenic fellows.  For one thing, they requested that the lights be turned down low, which ruined any shot at taking decent pictures.  I took this one just to prove my point.  Fucking stoners…

A good portion of the crowd showed up early, what with Bison B.C. going on second at 9:15 or so.  These guys, on the other hand, have never met a camera they didn’t like, and their aggressive stage demeanour–not to mention some killer heavy tunes–has won them a solid following in this city.  (The crowd was already a bit thinner after they finished.)

REASONS WHY DIXIE DAVE IS THE MAN: Number 11 – When Bison found a pair of cheap sunglasses on stage, who put them on?  Dixie did!

Saviours was the only band on the bill I hadn’t seen before, though I remembered them being more of a traditional metal outfit.  As it turns out, they didn’t disappoint with their take on Motorhead meets Diamond Head old-school worship.  A couple of their tunes had some solid slow doomy riffs, too.  While they still stuck out, it was definitely in a good way.  Oh, and kudos to their bassist for rockin’ the vintage McKenzie Brothers t-shirt!

Although they had a lot more stage to work with this time around, WEEDEATER set up their drumkit right up front, as per usual.  Since I was so close to the stage, I couldn’t squeeze Keko and Dixie into one shot without zooming out quite a bit, thus there are a couple pictures where the latter’s face is obscured by a cymbal.  Man, I must say, though, if there’s anybody who can make red eye look good, it’s Dixie!  (Reason Number 12, if you’re keeping track at home…)