critical zero ● TORONTO
Tail of The junction ● 04.22.2022
Strawberry Cough ● Give My Remains to Broadway ● Black Budget
Last Friday was Critical Zero's premier event, a gathering focused on community, music and good vibes. Originally the event was planned for last year covid kept pushing the date along and here we go!
Working with our friends our team consisted of runrebel.run, Pedro, angelphroot, Punk Rock Mailman, and Eryn Roberts. All of us share the same dream and desire to help bring people together for a night of fun and inspiring minds through music and mosh pits.
Each band was picked from a load of recommendations we received. Ontario has a treasure of talent, we wanted to display talent and bands we also felt needed more representation in Toronto, cause they are simply amazing. After hard work on social media marketing, old school flyers, and the word of mouth we were able to sell out all the event a magical experience. Ready to go we packed up our car with decorations to create our own ambiance, our own Critical Zero stickers, and stamps; to help make the night ultra special. Off we went to Tail of The Junction to begin our first adventure as an event organizer.
The night for me was iconic and memorable, the vibe was high, everyone was excited to see the bands, and the ambiance of the venue was welcoming. The night started off with Strawberry Cough, an absolutely talented 2 piece band, had the shy early night event-goers begin the first mosh of the night. It's rare I see this type of excitement for an opening band but in my opinion, none of the bands of the night were opening bands, they could all headline events with the right promotion.
The second band was Give My Remains to Broadway, oh the reverbed snare from an electric drum with the muffled vocals over a darkwave backing track. The crowd danced as the new waves of sound washed over their body.
It's worth noting Tail of Junction decided to play 80's and 90's music in between sets, and during this time, everyone on the dance floor was singing to the hits, no moment was wasted. One that specifically came to mind was Bon Jovi Living on Prayer. Everyone was so happy to be there, not a dull moment and so much joy.
To end the night Black Budget played a handful of new songs; that was added to their setlist. Seeing Black Budget several times since the lead vocalist and guitar player is from Critical Zero, I can safely say this was their best performance to date. In fact, it was a groundbreaking moment where everything came out perfect, the energy, the sweat of the musicians, and the dancefloor. Full-on mosh pits, body surfing, and a distinct connection between the band members and the audience. It wasn't a band playing to an audience but the audience and band working together to make this one of the most memorable nights of my life. There were so many moments from Pedro on the dancefloor with the crowd, to lying on the ground, or the trance he was in when performing solos, Micheal's jumps and connection with the crowd through speech and groove, and the crowd screaming for Jack Laing to take off his shirt, my flash on my camera overheated from capturing every moment.
I am grateful for MG being there and helping me become a better photographer, meanwhile recording the entire night. Especially the designers and their beautiful accessories and clothes which everyone loves. Thanks to Empty Web and Mad Maps for bringing more beauty into Tail of The Junction. Thanks to Tail of The Junction for giving us a home for the night to create our first-ever Critical Zero event.
Recap all the bands absolutely killed it and I am absolutely grateful for everyone who came out.
Photos by: runrebel.run