The Pistols Came Loaded: A Rocksearch Night That Went Off The Rails!
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Ontario - The traffic in this city gets worse every damn week. What should’ve been a simple drive turned into almost two hours of crawling toward Queen Street, thanks to a fire in Toronto's east end and the DVP closure that’s going to haunt the northbound commute for days. By the time I finally rolled up to The Rivoli, a venue I haven’t stepped foot in since catching Bruce McCulloch a few years ago, downtown was buzzing. Cooler air brought people packing the sidewalks, squeezing out whatever joy they could before the next five months of winter misery.
Tonight wasn’t a typical assignment for me. I had received an invite by The Lemon Pistols’ publicist. Unfortunately, we can't always make it out for these invitations, but a previous engagement fell through, so I made it a point to come out for this one. And since we got a taste of these guys at a Record Store Day event in Newmarket earlier this year, it was a no brainer. A three‑band bill presented by 97.7 HTZ-FM’s Rocksearch winners The Jailbirds, with finalists The Lemon Pistols and The Lookout Service. A stacked night, and as it turns out, one hell of a reminder of how much great music is exploding out of this city.
The Lookout Service
Toronto alt‑rockers who’ve been grinding since 2018, dropped their debut album Gambit in 2024, and roll in as the increasingly‑popular two‑piece. The Lookout Service drummer Ian Fragomeni hit the stage and pounded into "Daffazank" and we were off. TLS rocked through their opening numbers, the stage covered in smoke, but ahead of their third track "Hate to Say I Told You So", Fragomeni, who also takes vocal duties, asks for more smoke. ("Noooooooooooo...." a photographer's worst nightmare!!). I turn around in dismay and suddenly The Rivoli is packed. People dancing, nodding, grooving. The drummer belts out the lyrics while hammering the kit, and the crowd gives them a raucous applause.
Track four shifts the vocals duties back to guitarist/vocalist Stergios Kalochoridis. After the song, he introduces drummer Ian and tees up a brand‑new track they’ve never played live before called “Don’t Look Away.” Kalochoridis apologizes if they fuck it up but as soon as the riff hits, someone in the crowd yells “OH YEAH!” and the room lights up. Short, driving, groovy. Had my head nodding the whole time.
Ahead of tonight's show, I noticed an animal horn sitting on one of the amps. I assumed it to be just a set piece, but the band's guitarist grabbed it, and blew out an ominous blast, and the band launches into "Gorgo's Lament", a faster, heavier number. For the closer, they ask the crowd to go crazy, and they do. A mosh pit opens, speeds up, slows down, then kicks back into gear during "I Am the Dragon". A killer set from a band that clearly knows how to work a room.
The Lookout Service Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
The Jailbirds
As I was here tonight to cover The Lemon Pistols, I stayed only briefly for The Jailbirds, tonight’s headliners. Just long enough to grab a few shots and get a taste of why these guys won Rocksearch this year. Another Toronto band, and they explode out of the gate with a ton of power for opening song "Break the Rules". Vocalist Myke Penney's voice hits a higher register, almost Geddy Lee‑esque, despite the singer's typically gritty, modern rock roar.
Ahead of the band's third track of their set, Penney shares that he wrote this track about “fucked up people" and the band rolls into "True Colours". The fourth is “Take Me Away,” the one played on 97.7, and easily their heaviest track of the night. I left after this one... Not because they weren’t great (they absolutely were) but because tonight’s focus was elsewhere. But honestly, even in just four songs, it was easy to see why they won the Hamilton radio station's battle.
The Jailbirds Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
The Lemon Pistols
With all due respect to the headliners, this is why I came out tonight. This Toronto quartet is often described as “explosive” and “the epitome of rock and roll”, and DAMN!!! After tonight, I totally got it! The band pops out swinging, singer Anthony Carbonara in a peaked cap and leather jacket, guitarist Nick Scaglione in shades and cowboy boots, bassist Stefano Barbera rocking the classic ’stache and a light‑blue bass, drummer Rob Debartolo shirtless, and a mystery fifth member joining on guitar for the opening track "Mean Bone", a cover of the Slash's Snakepit track from 2000. They hit hard immediately, and they surpass the excited chatter around the room ahead of their set. These guys are FIRE.
"Casa Limone" brings foam fingers flying through the air from the stage, out into the crowd as the mystery guitarist heads off stage, and the band settles into their normal 4-piece band of brothers. Carbonara grabs an electric 6-string, his face already glistening with sweat. As the fog rolls in, and dark lighting sets the mood, foam fingers punch the ceiling, and the fans are fired up!
I settled into my spot on the floor at stage left, my photography responsibilities at an end. It's time to take in the rest of the show as a spectator, quickly becoming a fan. "Stone Cold Fox", the fourth track of the band's set has a Black Crowes vibe, swaggering, and rock‑solid. While I catch the explosive vibe during the first 3 songs when I'm photographing, I'm typically focused on my camera, and getting the shot. The music is usually secondary during the "work" part of the evening for me. But it's now that I can fully take in the music, the strut from the band, and the reaction from the crowd. My thoughts immediately went to "how the hell were these guys finalists??" Don't get me wrong, that is an outstanding accomplishment, but holy shit, these guys are so good!
For "The Battle of Scotty Thompson" The Lemon Pistols continue to show their musicianship. After "Carbs" shouts out the opening act, and says how pumped they are to be here with “the fucking Jailbirds”, Nick Scaglione joins in on vocals, and the singer and bassist Angus‑Young their way around the small stage. But the energy is BIG, Scaglione's voice sounds fantastic. The Pistols don't ever let up on the eye-opening display, with bluesy break-downs, then effortless slides into the best part of “Stairway to Heaven” (the musical crescendo if I have to spell it out). What a display!!
Even Carbonara's approach to his interactions with the crowd is completely genuine. The singer calls out a couple in the front row and announces they just got married, in a moment of humanity. I'm not sure if he knew the couple or not, but the interaction was so personable. The crowd erupted in cheers, and a number of fans went up to them with congratulations... myself included... well, at least at the end of the band's set, because then came "Swamp Lovin'", a full‑tilt rock‑and‑roll dance number that feels ripped straight out of the late ’70s/early ’80s. Bob Seger, George Thorogood, that whole era of sweaty, joyful rock. The crowd busted out into dance, the rhythm keeping them moving.
The band continued a killer roll of amazing rock tracks. Some with slower interludes, some with amped up energy. But as much fun as I was having listening to the band roll through their catalogue, the set had come to its close. One last track was in the wait as the mystery guitarist from the opening track reappeared. As it turned out, this was a guest appearance by The Vaniers' Alex Iacobellis, and The Lemon Pistols exploded into the AC/DC song "Shoot to Thrill." Carbonara rasped up his voice and absolutely slays the Brian Johnson style, almost to perfection. The whole crowd clapped along as the band on stage exploded to a massive finish. If these guys were runner‑ups, then The Jailbirds must be the next coming of something huge.
A fan told me afterward, “I’ve seen these guys a lot, but I’ve never seen them like that." While I don't have the same experience seeing the band in a live setting, I somehow couldn't agree more. They were amazing! The Jailbirds were going to have their work cut out for them. Yet in a quick chat with the band's singer once he settled in behind the merch table, he somehow felt the set was a little sloppy. He's the expert at his craft, but we're all our worst enemies, eh? As a music journalist, it simply wasn’t.
Man, there is a ton of great music in this city. And The Lemon Pistols? They’re not just rocksearch finalists. If they keep pushing on, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Toronto music scene and beyond.
If you missed this show, you have anohter chance on October 24th when the band plays Lee's Palace in support of P'Tit Belliveau.
The Lemon Pistols Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
The Lemon Pistols Online
Show Date: October 15, 2026
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