Kill Matilda played an exceptionally loud and aggressive set at DSTRCT on homecoming Fri. Sept. 18. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Kill Matilda is a three piece band consisting of the vivacious Dusty Exner on lead vocals and guitar, her boisterous husband Mykel Exner on bass and backup vocals, and Marcus Luk on drums whose energy was loud and vibrant – fighting the very air around him. With a marriage and music tying Dusty and Mykel Exner together, it reminds us of the similar relationship between Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes. But Kill Matilda has the ever-present third wheel Marcus Luk who will stop at nothing to prove exactly why he’s there.
Kill Matilda recently released their new CD titled Songs For Survival, and upon playing their latest single “Needle & Thread”, got a more than appreciative crowd response of solo moshing, chair moshing, and fans jumping on and off their stage. The band was more than willing to share their stage with their fans, as Dusty Exner encouraged fans, “Let’s get ****ing rowdy you guys!” The band laughed, bantered and mocked back and forth with their fans, with excess amounts of profanity spewing from their mouths.
Upon playing their distorted song “Geisha with a Switchblade”, anxiety poured over the room. “Geisha with a Switchblade” is dedicated to all of the women that went missing in Vancouver’s downtown east side. The story is about a serial killer who kidnapped prostitutes. To keep the story short, the end result was a multitude of tragic deaths. The deaths were ignored by Vancouver law enforcement. “Geisha with a Switchblade” shows the artists’ activist intentions to voice out problems from their area of origin.
Dusty Exner looked at her spectators and introduced their original “Zombie Apocalypse” with “This next song is about being sexually aroused by killing zombies.”
Kill Matilda played some of their other hits, “Sanctuary”, “I Want Revenge”, “She’s a Killer”, and the Bonnie Tyler cover “Holding out for a Hero”. The lyrics consist of post-apocalyptic situations of zombie killing, dystopian romance, and Franken-corpses. Kill Matilda is an edgy band that celebrates zombies, the apocalypse and a really good party.
Although Kill Matilda proved they could be loud and obnoxious, they also proved they could be sweet and gracious to their fans who congratulated them after a show-well-done, taking photographs, giving out stickers and, for a small fee, autographed CDs.
Kill Matilda has booked shows across Canada and the United States on their way towards home. They’ve also planned a tour across the United States and Mexico starting next month. One thing is certain, if you’re looking for a raging time, searching for loud music, or lyrics that call out the undead, then you need to catch a glimpse of Canada’s hottest dance punk band, Kill Matilda.
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The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.