Goodbye Honolulu / The Thrill / The Offers @ House of TARG

Toronto surf-punks Goodbye Honolulu headlined a beach party at Ottawa’s House of TARG Friday night.

The band’s raucous songs straddle genres, mixing old-school rock-n-roll riffs with grungy distortion and pop-punk brattiness. “Mother to a Brother” is a rowdy surf rock jam, while “Codeine,” which appeared early in the setlist, sounds like glam rock at its grimiest.

Other highlights of their TARG set included top-notch party anthems such as”Back to Me,” “Where You Wanna Go,” and (towards the end of the set) their excellent single “Typical,” which boasts a brilliant chorus of “Call me old fashioned but I’m looking for some love / with some action.” They also played a handful of new songs, including a bare-bones rocker called “You Got It.”

Goodbye Honolulu last played TARG last October, returning to Ottawa in December to open for The Beaches. With sunny pop-punk equally suited for dance floors and mosh pits, they’re always a welcome addition to any line-up.

Earlier in the night, the party was kicked off by two local bands, Ottawa’s own The Offers and The Thrill.

The Offers provided the punkiest of pop punk, rattling the room with an even mix of catchy riffs and amp fuzz. Next up, The Thrill played a heavy set of snarling punk, their abrasive sound supplemented with the barest hints of surf-rock to keep things bouncing.