By Eric Mahollitz

Last night, Madison and the High Noon Saloon were fortunate enough to host Vancouver’s Ladyhawk and New Jersey buzz band The Gaslight Anthem. A slightly subdued but good-sized crowd welcomed Ladyhawk to the stage. Duffy Driediger (guitar/vocals), the band’s unofficial spokesman, looked right at home on the microphone, his flannel shirt and signature beard exuding the warmth that comes through so well in his songwriting. His habit of being self-critical came out between songs in the form of playful banter, but upon hearing the songs themselves such doubtful statements, however playful, become moot. Through the course of a dozen songs that spanned the old and the new, Ladyhawk seemed keen on indulging in their favorite tool – the guitar. Solos were infused and interludes were extended, often peppered with southern rock riffs and accentuated by the swaying long locks of bassist Sean Hawryluk. Highlights of the show included the dynamic duo of I’ll Be Your Ashtray and S.T.H.D. from their latest record, Shots, as well My Old Jackknife from their first album. Then, as an odd choice for a closer, Driediger announced a new track, entitled Hellfire, which appears on a new 7” shared with two other Canadian bands. Hellfire proved to be the most explosive track the group has ever recorded. Guitarist Darcy Hancock and drummer Ryan Peters switched places for the song and Driediger laid down his guitar before the quartet cannonballed into a Black Sabbath-tinged concoction of epic proportions.

Ladyhawk Setlist: You Ran/ Dugout/ War/ Fear/ Different/ I’ll Be Your Ashtray/ S.T.H.D./ Crows/ Peen/ New Joker/ My Old Jackknife/ Hellfire

After a brief changeover, headliner The Gaslight Anthem took the stage, and the crowd immediately herded towards the stage, packing themselves in much tighter than before. In the midst of a massive tour with Rise Against, Alkaline Trio and Thrice, The Gaslight Anthem was pleased to touch down in Madison for the first time and play a longer set. Following the immediately energizing performance of The ’59 Sound opener Great Expectations, it became clear the band is ready for larger arena shows. It wasn’t long before beer bottles were raised and fists were pumping as the band shuffled through their brief but quickly expanding catalog. Whereas Ladyhawk applies a slight disheveledness to their sound, TGA hammered away as though the model of precision and did so with big smiles and lots of open camaraderie. Brian Fallon’s vocals overflowed the space with the band’s characteristic workingman’s songs. Equally apparent in the group’s sound is the influence of two other New Jersey artists, The Bouncing Souls and Bruce Springsteen. On The ’59 Sound and during their live performance, they’re able to mix that punk influence with sentimental bar rock and instill a similarly raw sentimentality in their audience. Following the main set which included heavyweights The ’59 Sound, Miles Davis and The Cool and the rare, mellower number, The Navesink Banks, Fallon and company took the stage once more to play two cuts from February’s Señor & The Queen EP. Hand clapping abounded and the band left the stage to raucous applause, adding another notch to their belts.

The Gaslight Anthem Setlist: Great Expectations/ The Patient Ferris Wheel/ Old White Lincoln/ Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?/ We Came to Dance/ Drive/ Miles Davis and The Cool/ 1930/ I’da Called You Woody, Joe/ Angry Johnny and the Radio/ The ’59 Sound/ Sender/ The Navesink Banks/ Film Noir/ I Coulda Been a Contender/ The Backseat

Encore: Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts/ Say I Won’t (Recognize)

Photo: Rise Of Beachmont
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Myspace: The Gaslight Anthem
Myspace: Ladyhawk

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