MonthlyMess deemed addictive

Heard enough about the MonthlyMess yet? Must have been quite a success as we’re all still talking about it. Thanks to Tricycle Studios, this month we were treated to cushy couches, cheap brews, and a background of colourful paintings – a much comfier fit than last month’s cold stone and ghouls.

I shan’t go through the entire set-list – just a couple highlights. My favourite medium – which I rarely stumble upon, even in this art-soaked town - is a good story, so I perked right up for Jonathan Stewart’s lucid tale of a failed hypnosis.

My own exciting story of the evening was discovering the Russian Social Club, right next door to Tricycle studios. The black velvet tunnel was a little daunting but I slipped past black-clad, straight-faced russian men who lined the passageway and got a glimpse of the luxurious interior. Under a red lace ceiling, a leather-jacketed heartthrob with a rockstar stance entertained the crowd what turned out to be covers of classic Russian rock ballads.

I noticed more than a couple of the Russian Socialites had wandered over to the Indyish side to catch The Unsettlers’ set. With their party-hat energy and macabre undertones (beat out on a garbage can drumset), the band lived up to their name. The Unsettlers were both dark and danceable, a combination that I find weirdly addictive. Something about backup singers Genevieve and Brie’s whiskey-voices sliding over the trombone melody just felt… yes. Luckily I won’t have to wait long for my next fix: they’ve got another show lined up this Tuesday at Greenroom.