For those of our readers who are familiar with my content, you’ll know that rock music is at the top of the list for my favourite things ever. If I may divulge into that list a little more, I also love animals. So naturally on Saturday, March 7, when we heard of Living Dead Girl’s Birthday Charity Bash in support of the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society, making an appearance seemed like a no brainer to me. Oh, and there were also some absolutely kickass bands performing in support of the show. Here’s the scoop: the show kicked off at the Historic Red Dog with Peterborough favourite Antixx, taking no prisoners with their unforgivingly wicked punk and metal anthems. Songs such as "Easy Way Out" and "Stay with Me" mixes slow grinding lows and fast tooth-gritty hits in their choruses and verses. Even from the last time we met at the Twisted Wheel, these guys never fail to impress. "In Hell" featured a mind-blowing guitar solo delivered at Mach 5 speeds, though I’m only making an educated guess since I didn’t have a radar on me. Perhaps that and some earplugs (standing close to the speakers really does a number on one’s hearing) will be on the shopping list for the next show.

Then came the Bonnavilles, flying in like the house that just left Kansas. On the extensive and ever-growing list of reasons I love this band, one of the most important points is the fact that they never stand in the same place twice. You could put these guys on a stage the size of a stock pallet, and they’ll still find a way to jump around it, inciting gravity-defying energies and keeping you off your seat too. In the midst of a technical difficulty with a mic, Chris Payne persisted by switching to another mic to finish a song, barely breaking a sweat. There were also two Bad Brains t-shirts worn by the bands (one by Antixx as well), and that influence was clearly shown by those sets as well.

Maybe May from Mississauga arrived with an ingenious stage setup, loading up on strobe LED lights and a fog machine, and it was as if the room had been transformed into the inside of a heavy metal spaceship. Right off the bat, these guys had the stage presence (and realistically, the stage) of a stadium concert, performing like they were the headliner. In all honesty, I would absolutely go see them when that happens. Because… it’s going to happen. Think of a cleaner-toned White Zombie with a healthy, hearty dose of new-age flair – the synthesizer effects were a very nice touch in contributing to the out-of-this-world aesthetic the band presents. "Vultures" is one of such songs, combining airy vocals and maxed out reverbnation guitars with earthquake-grade bass thumps. Really good stuff.

The time then arrived for Living Dead Girl to cap off the performances. Lemme tell you; the band came alive to the point where I thought they were gonna knock us dead. There, that’s the limit of puns I can put in an article. In all seriousness, the band put up an incredible performance with songs like "At the Edge" and "Worship Me," summoning deep dark riffs and hell raising vocals. On that note, Molly Rennick’s vocal tactics are incredibly versatile – switching between soft-spoken singing to hold-onto-something shouting between choruses and verses. She sported a very impressive range between those two styles as well. Be warned – these shows get loud, and Living Dead Girl delivers a force parallel to a jet engine and an explosion. Perhaps more than both, but if you want to see for yourself, I’ll see you at the next show!

After the show the band announced the raffle prizes, which were donated by a number of local Peterborough stores and services. I caught up with Molly Rennick after to talk about the event:

SW: How did you feel about the show?

MOLLY: I think the show went very well, I thought it was a huge success. We raised – I haven’t totally counted yet but I’m gonna go ahead and estimate close to $2000, which is absolutely incredible. It makes me so happy to know that there are other people like me who care for animals and want to help out. So I’m truly grateful for everyone who came out tonight in support of local music, and most of all in support of the charity. It’s absolutely amazing!

SW: You mentioned during the show that you guys have an album in the works, is it close to being finished?

MOLLY: It is actually finished being recorded, we’re just waiting to have it mixed and mastered, and then all the fun business/legal side of everything. Then it should be out hopefully spring or the summer – a few months from now, I’ll say that.

SW: We’ll definitely keep our eyes open for that. You announced on your social media a couple of days before the event on why you chose the Lakefield Animal Welfare Society as the choice of charity for this event. What can you tell us about why that place inspired you?

MOLLY: I love the LAWS. My family has donated there many times. We’ve bought them food, blankets, things they need for the cats. Every time we go in, we socialize with the animals; we pet them and hang out with them, because they love human interaction. So my family and I – we all love cats, and we love going in there socializing and helping them however we can. I chose the LAWS because it is not a kill shelter, and they take the best care of the animals as possible, so they're in great hands over there. It’s all volunteer and donation based, no government funding whatsoever. So it is very important that people do donate to them and volunteer with them, because they really need it in order to keep those animals alive.

SW: Awesome. Anything else you want to leave the fine hard rockers and our readers off with?

MOLLY: Yeah, Living Dead Girl’s debut album recorded in Los Angeles by infamous producer Mitchell Marlow will be released this year. It is our very first release – so far we only released three singles to date. Now we finally have a full length album for all of you, and I promise you will not be disappointed. You’re gonna love it!

Be sure to check out lakefieldanimalwelfare.org to see how you can help out the animals, and as always, keep the radar live for more shows from these outstanding artists.