The comeback continued for Coney Hatch who celebrated the launch of their “Four” recording with a rare Toronto appearance at Rockpile East Friday night (followed by a Saturday appearance at the club’s Rockpile West venue).
Friday’s turnout was disappointingly small for such an established Canadian group but the 250 or so fans who did brave the elements were treated to a quality performance by lead vocalist/guitarist Carl Dixon, lead vocalist/bassist Andy Curran, lead guitarist Steve Shelski and drummer Dave (Thumper) Ketchum. And these are devoted fans who obviously revelled in the spectacle of viewing their heroes at such close quarters.
Yes Coney Hatch played a selection of previous hits including `You Ain’t Got Me’, `First Time For Everything’, `Stand Up’, `Some Like It Hot’ and `To Feel The Feeling Again’. Yet the mark of a great band is that their new material sounded just as strong as their standards and in this case, Coney Hatch were spot on target.
Just by the crowd’s reaction to `Blown Away’, `Boys Club’, `Down And Dirty’, `Connected’, `Keep Driving’ and `We Want More’, it was obvious this band has maintained a creative flow that will stand them in good stead as future appearances increase their fan support. Yes the dual vocals of Dixon and Curran still provide a lyrical punch, Shelski is subdued but quietly effective on lead guitar and Dave Ketchum continues to live up to his `Thumper’ nickname behind the drum kit.
Having established that their new material justified its position on their set list, The Hatch wrapped up their set with a run of their classics from their 1982 self-titled release which included `Hey Operator’, `Devil’s Deck’ and Monkey Bars’ before finishing with an encore rendition of AC/DC’s `Sin City from their “Powerage” release.
Overall an excellent, high energy performance by a group of top notch pros whose collective dynamic should stand them in good stead next year as they target European and other global markets.
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