The Mountain Goats Rock Richards

The Mountain Goats kicked off their tour in support of their new album, Heretic Pride, at Richards on Richards Friday night, and the pent up energy from their winter hibernation was contagious.

Opening act Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters set the night off to a great start with an a capella ode to ramen noodles. The band's art-punk sing-song bittersweetness was a great compliment to the Mountain Goat's humourously dark, pulsing indie rock. My favourite moments consisted of Lewis's man-child "films" (large picture books, see the slide show) that illustrated songs about a monster's dismembered hand, and growing up.

The Mountain Goats themselves seemed surprised and delighted by the rapturous applause when they came out on stage. Lead singer John Darnielle's geeky-cool charm is his interaction with his fans. He reacted with a grin, or a laugh, or a fist pumping "yeah!" to every sing-along or audience cry of delight.

The crowd went crazy for "Sax Rohmer 1" and "Dance Music". My personal favourite came during the encore when Darnielle let loose on "Houseguest", also known as "Nothing Painted Blue". One rabid fan called the show "life changing". If Darnielle had heard him, I know just what he would have said: "Hell yeah!"

To see more of the Mountain Goats, please peruse the slide show below.

Photos by Carlos Hernandez Fisher