Mike Edel and D.O.A. play a diverse show for a packed house

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You never know what shows people will show up for, especially on a Tuesday. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the Slice standing room only, Tuesday, May 21, for what I thought would be mostly D.O.A. fans, however most of Joe Keithley of D.O.A. at the Slice, May 21. Photo by Richard Amerythem were there to see Seattle ’s Mike Edel and his trio.
 I missed opening act Tyson Ray Borsboom, but caught most of Edel’s solid set of appealing, guitar fueled, delay laden indie rock.


 The affable Edel told stories and played songs from his new CD “Thresholds,” singing in an appealing tenor voice along the lines of Dan Mangan, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Donovan Woods and a touch of Ed Sheeran.


 Edel beamed on stage, dancing with his guitar, knocking off layers of delay soaked ambience along the lines of Brian Eno era U2.


One of many highlights was “Go With You,” which he dedicated to his dad Larry, who I think may have been in the audience for the Alberta born Edel, who moved to B.C. and recently Seattle.
Most of the audience left after Edel’s set, leaving a couple dozen local punks waiting for Vancouver based punk legends D.O.A. , which left frontman Joe Keithley a little taken aback by the strange lineup for the night.


 Nonetheless, D.O.A. crashed into a wild set of high voltage “hits”, or most popular songs from a band who you’d never hear on contemporary radio.


 They played some of their most popular numbers including the Enemy, but without the old lyrics as on their neMike Edel playing the Slice, May 21. photo by Richard Ameryw CD of reissued demos “1978.” They played World War 3, “Class War,” and was really pleased to hear one of my favourites “2+2.”


 They barely touched on their most recent studio album “Fight Back,“ only playing “You Need an Ass Kicking Right Now,” from it and “Just Got back From The U.S.A. which they also recorded several years ago.
They also didn’t play  one of my absolute favourites “Disco Sucks.” Though “ Fuck You” was a highlight.


 Keithley was an absolute demon on his battered Gibson SG, knocking out Who like riffs like there was no tomorrow. He did high kicks at bassist Mike Hodsall who returned the favour in between  bashing out thunderous riffs on bass, trading Pete Townsend style windmills with Keithley and leaping high in the air as drummer Paddy Duddy bashed away at the skins.


In a more fair musical world, you would hear D.O.A. on the air with their big catchy hooks and riffs and even guitar solos, which Keithley played behind his head and with his teeth.

But instead they remain, and have been for the past 40 years, our own little secret, shared only by thousands of punks all over the world. Just not here.
 They wound up a short, but sweet set with their incendiary  cover oD.O.Arocking the Slice, May 21. Photo by Richard Ameryf “War (What is It Good For?). Of course, they were called back for an encore of Irish punk classic “Alternative Ulster and “Fucked Up Donny.”

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 January 2020 15:51 )