Tue 8/20 @ 9PM
If you’re craving something intense, KEN mode is just the ticket. The three-piece out of Winnipeg bashes with intelligence. “Northern bellicosity done politely” is how they bill themselves.
Formed in 1999 by a couple of brothers — vocalist guitarist Jesse Matthewson and drummer Shane Matthewson (now joined by Andrew LaCour on bass and vocals, the latest in a long string of bass players) — the relentlessly touring group has been gracing noisy, heavy bills with regularity since then.
It’s also got five albums, including Entrench, just released in March. And its last — 2011’s Venerable — won the Juno Award for Heavy Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year.
Its hardcore/metal collision is bracing, and who doesn’t love a band with a smart-ass attitude that produces songs with titles like “Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick,” “No, I’m in Control” and “Why Don’t You Just Quit?” Hear a little here.
They’ll share the stage at Now That’s Class with Rosetta and Mockingbird.
Admission is $8.