NOISEY 039: BRUTAL KNIGHTS

Sometimes scorching irony is more important than convincing argument. I think that idea comes from Frederick Douglass, but it may as well have come from comedian Nick Flanagan, front man of Brutal Knights, the funniest hardcore band in Toronto history.

Sadly, the Knights are history now. We were lucky enough to see their last show ever at La Sala Rossa, a cozy venue perched atop a ground floor tapas spot. The band was moving along fine, but with Flanagan’s comedy career picking up speed and drummer John Power moving to Newfoundland, they decided to call it quits. They leave behind a slew of seven-inches and albums on small labels like Deranged and P. Trash, documenting the caustic, blistering punk they’d been refining for five years.

It’s not simply Flanagan’s ridiculous lyrics that set the band apart from Toronto’s superlative hardcore scene. Brutal Knights cultivated a searing blend of hardcore and feral garage-rock, replete with the requisite buzzsaw guitars and rapid-fire blasts. They’ll be missed in Toronto.