Recording: Dany Laj & The Looks

Artist: Dany Laj & The Looks

Songs: 799 Queen St West + We Were a Gang

Recorded at Handlebar ("Dollarstore Spaceship" – Out Of The Box Music & Arts Festival), August 23, 2013.

Dany Laj & The Looks - 799 Queen St West^*

Dany Laj & The Looks - We Were a Gang

Full review to follow. I hadn't seen Montréal's Dany Laj play before, but his sideburns/leather jacket/thick-rimmed glasses gave an immediate sense of what he's all about — the frills-free spirit of rock'n'roll that was reawakened by punk rock. With Jeanette Dowling (previously of party/rockers Chang-a-Lang) on bass, I'd been meaning to catch this much-travelled band pretty much every time they've made their way down the 401. Completely convincing as a live force, my only regret now is that I waited so long.

[Danny Laj & The Looks will be returning to town on September 30 for a show at the Junction's 3030 bar.]

^* Once this was released on 2015's Word on The Street, the title was shortened to the slightly less-specific "Queen St. West".