Words: Miljan Milekić
September in Saskatoon is shaping up to be a fantastic month for punk rock and hardcore fans. D.O.A., Comeback Kid, Mad Caddies, Diesel Boy, Authority Zero, The Corps, and a few other bands will all hit the stage at various venues across the city, with the majority of them doing it right here, at the Black Cat Tavern. And the ones to start it all off were Czech skate punk shredders Krang, supported by locals Driveway Legends and 66 Aces.
Saskatoon’s Driveway Legends had the opening slot and used it to bring their own flavour of skate punk. I first heard the band back in January when they opened for Pkew Pkew Pkew, at this same place, and liked them right away. They brought a fast, energetic, and fun sound, combined with some great stories. This time, they were a bit quieter in between songs, but delivered a great set, despite a smaller crowd in front of them.
66 Aces kicked in next with a blend of punk, metal, and old school rock’n’ roll. Not really my cup of tea or something I would normally listen to, but the trio played and commanded the stage like they had played hundreds of shows. Their short but energetic set just bumped the crowd a little bit more and got them ready for the night’s headliners.
Finally, it was time for Krang to take the stage, and right off the bat, they struck with ‘Time Is Ticking,’ arguably their biggest song yet. In the proper skate punk fashion, they kept their set short but sweet, picking and choosing from their catalogue, or even letting the crowd pick for them. That’s how we got ‘Casey Jones,’ and the set closer, powerful ‘Brand New Leader.’ I found it especially interesting that these two songs got picked, as their duality perfectly summarizes the whole show, and possibly Krang as a bend.
A big portion of the band’s music is heavily rooted in pop culture, referencing their favorite movies, TV shows, or video games, and this set was no different, with songs like ‘I Wanna Be Hellboy,’ ‘Rory Gilmore,’ ‘TinTin,’ or the instant classic ‘Cowabunga.’ On the other hand, the band is not afraid of getting political or exploring social subjects, like in the already mentioned ‘Time Is Ticking’ and ‘Brand New Leader,’ or ‘Lions Of Kurdistan.’
As a matter of fact, the only time they actually slowed down and got serious was when the band’s bassists proudly displayed the Ukrainian flag, signed by refugees he provided home to in the early days of the 2022 Russian invasion. As he explained, one of the things they were afraid of was that they, and their suffering, would be forgotten in a world where everything happens so fast, and news stops being news seconds after being released, so he promised to share their story wherever he goes. Along with sending “greetings” to Vladimir Putin. Not all heroes wear capes – some strap them on their microphone stands.
