On September 18, 2025, The Dirty Nil made their triumphant return to Peterborough, Ontario after 12 years, bringing their high-octane rock ’n’ roll show to The Venue along with Spite House and Heart Attack Man.

I was very excited to see one of my favourite bands play closer to home and the excitement kept building on the quick drive to The Venue. The security person that I dealt with was very nice and told me that they had earplugs available (for free) if needed. The earplugs were wrapped and sitting on an easily accessible table.

There was plenty of seating in the room, with chairs set up in a horseshoe around the stage as well as at the bar. The pit area was right in front of the (very tall) stage and sunken in, accessible by either a couple of steps or a ramp. There were also two couches near the back of the floor so people could sit if they wished. I was able to get right up to the barricade. This added to my excitement because I would actually be able to see what was going on.

Not long after settling in, Montreal-based Spite House took to the stage. The trio came out of the gate swinging, wasting no time introducing the crowd to their propulsively cathartic style of emo-infused post-hardcore. Vocalist and guitarist Max Lajoie and bassist Nabil Ortega were jumping around (the height!), doing high kicks and spinning around, sharing their energy with the crowd. Drummer Marc Tremblay was headbanging and all of them were putting their all into the songs.

They played a mix of songs from their 2022 self-titled album (including “Awake”, “Dying Leaves”, and “Melt”) and their recently released album Desertion (including “Desert” and “Midway”). The strength and range of Max’s voice were on full display throughout all the songs, shifting seamlessly between clean and harsh vocals. At the end of the final song, Max grabbed the mic stand and brought it crashing to the floor of the stage, punctuating the emotion in the song and closing out their set with a burst of noise. This was met with applause and cheers from the crowd.
Spite House had more and more people banging their heads and dancing around the longer they played (someone behind me two-stepped to several songs). I believe this was their first time playing in Peterborough and they left with many new fans. I’ve wanted to see Spite House for some time now and they surpassed my (very high) expectations.

After a quick changeover, Heart Attack Man from Cleveland, Ohio (which lead vocalist and guitarist Eric Egan would later call, “The deep South of Ontario”) took to the stage for their first show in Peterborough. The band launched into their set with “Lay Down and Die” off their recently released album Joyride The Pale Horse and people were dancing almost immediately to their dynamic punk rock.

“Fake Blood” from their 2019 album of the same name (I found this album during the first COVID lockdown and listened to it all the time, so being able to hear it live in a room of people was fucking fantastic) came next followed by “Like A Kennedy” from their 2023 album Freak of Nature. People lost their minds during “Spit”, with people jumping and singing along.

“It is indeed Thursday. It is Thursday, my dudes,” Eric said after a brief discussion on stage about what day it was, before asking if there were any cinema fans in the crowd. This got plenty of cheers and the band started up “Out for Blood”, which is inspired by the 1993 motion picture Falling Down. People also went hard for this song, especially during the chorus. Guitarist Ty Sickels came over to the side of the stage where I was standing, walked to the edge of the stage, and shredded (which he was doing all night, but to see it closer was wild).

The band’s energy didn’t let up once as they danced around the stage, threw in high kicks and jumps, and didn’t miss a beat. This only intensified on “Joyride The Pale Horse”, “Old Enough 2 Die”, and “Leap Year”. “Peterborough, you’re all my Peter-bros,” Eric said to laughter and some groans. The Peter-bros then proceeded to kick up the dancing to another level when the band started up “Freak of Nature”, everyone letting their freak flag fly.

The bassist led the crowd in several energetic “Woooo”s and Eric shouted out Spite House and The Dirty Nil, who were both cheered very loudly. The crowd and the city were also thanked and then they closed out their set with “Laughing Without Smiling”, leaving the stage to cheers. While they were removing their gear, the band also thanked the staff.

The energy exchange between Heart Attack Man and the crowd was incredible. They were a ton of fun and I would see them again in a heartbeat.

Following another quick changeover, The Dirty Nil took to the stage to thunderous cheers. For this run, lead singer and guitarist Luke Bentham and drummer Kyle “Starchild” Fisher were joined by Anthony Vitanza on bass, who you might know from Brampton rockers Perfect Strangers. They launched into “Gallop of the Hounds” off their recently released album The Lash and the crowd exploded.

The energy level continued to rise as they went into “Pain of Infinity” off 2018’s Master Volume, “No Weaknesses” off 2016’s Higher Power, and "That's What Heaven Feels Like". The crowd (including myself) were singing along at the top of our lungs as Luke and Anthony did astronomic jumps (they would get even higher as the night went on) and wild back/knee bends that lowered them inches from the floor before popping back up. Luke leaned as close to the middle of the crowd as the height of the stage would allow, everyone sharing in the magic of rock ’n’ roll. He also blew a couple of big, pink bubbles with his gum during the songs, something he would do several more times during the night, always without missing a beat.

“Rock ’N’ Roll Band” prompted another massive singalong and was followed by the hard rocking “That Don’t Mean It Won’t Sting”. When the crowd heard the opening of “Celebration” (off 2023’s Free Rein to Passions), all bets were off. Heads were banging like there was no tomorrow and people were letting the glorious heaviness move them. Kyle hit the drums harder than ever (“We don’t give him a mic because he’s the loudest member of the band” - Luke) and Luke and Anthony’s jumps were even higher than before. After the song ended, complete with a perfectly timed jump, Luke introduced Anthony to the crowd to cheers.

Then the band started up “Friends in the Sky” which showcased the power and range of Luke’s voice before going into “Smoking is Magic”, which had some of the coolest looking lights of the night. It was immensely cathartic to sing (ok, scream) along with “So you wanna pick a bone with me / You want it now you got it baby” and “Why can’t you just understand / All I owe you is revenge.” It was one of the many parts of the night where I felt like I was exorcising ghosts. My glasses almost fell off my face more than once during this song.

Next up was “Astro Ever After”, easily one of my top 3 Dirty Nil songs. Every time I hear this song live it is a transcendent experience. The song filled the room with an indescribable energy, everyone blissfully awash in the soaring melodies and pure beauty of the track. It feels like your feet aren’t touching the floor and every note, beat, and lyric reverberates deep within your bones. If you ever doubt about the power of live music, this is the song that will fling those doubts into the sun.

The opening notes of “Wrestle Yü to Hüsker Dü” rang out and wrapped everyone in the heavy groove of the song. When Luke got to “Fuck him”, everyone thrust up their middle fingers and passionately sang along. Next up was “Damage Control”, the first song of the night from 2021’s Fuck Art. During the chorus, Luke pointed to us to sing “damage control”, which everyone did with gusto.

“This is the first time we’ve played this next song live,” Luke said before the band started up “Hero Narrative” from The Lash. The band really brought the song to life, showcasing the emotion of the lyrics and instrumentation. The emotion of the next song, “This is Me Warning Ya”, was also highlighted as Luke played it solo, wreathed in a spotlight.

It was all hands on deck for the next song, “Elvis ’77” which was followed by “Blunt Force Concussion”. People were jumping around and dancing everywhere. The back bends, high jumps, and high kicks continued on stage, the energy only growing stronger. Luke motioned for the crowd to sing along during “Blunt Force Concussion” and we responded in kind, turning up the volume as the lyrics filled the room. Near the end of the song, Luke’s guitar strap broke, but he didn’t miss a beat as he caught his guitar with cat-like reflexes and finished the song strong.
After the final note rang out, he grabbed another guitar and the band started up “Evil Side”. Everyone was dancing and singing along, joining Luke when he gave the line “But I swear to God and his skies of blue” some extra sauce. “Let’s hear it for Spite House! Let’s hear it for Heart Attack Man! Let’s hear it for The Dirty Nil, motherfuckers!!” Luke exclaimed, getting massive cheers from the crowd.

The band then launched into “Fail in Time”, closing the main set with a bang before walking off. After a few minutes, the band came back on stage to cheers and played the final song of the night, “Doom Boy”. What a song to have as an encore. The energy cranked up even higher as people danced and sang their hearts out, thrusting horns to the sky during “hailin’ Satan” and going wild during the breakdown.

After the final note had rung out, Kyle threw his sweatbands (I think) into the crowd and Luke threw out some picks, one of which he kissed before sending it into the crowd. He also threw out the setlist, which the person beside me caught. They left the stage to roaring cheers.

When you go see The Dirty Nil, there are two things that you can count on: they will put on a fucking fantastic show and you will have the time of your life. Every time I see the band, their energy gets more and more electric and that night was no different. They bring their all to every single song and, in turn, the crowd does too. It was really special to be able to see them closer to home and to see them in a more intimate venue. I always leave a Dirty Nil show feeling ecstatic, and I can’t wait to see them again. Hopefully, they won’t wait another 12 years before coming back to Peterborough.

Hail, hail rock ’n’ roll.