How Toronto band METZ made a mark on an East Coast music scene

In the early 2010s, there was a migration of alternative rock music from Ontario to St. John’s in the form of a three-piece band called METZ. 

They left behind a whole new sound for Newfoundland and Labrador music fans and artists like Jeremy Harnum of Yes, Officer.

Harnum made the effort to see METZ two nights in a row during their 2013 stint at the Rock House in downtown St. John’s. 

“It kind of changed the course of the type of music that I like to listen to,” said Harnum. “So I really shifted gears a bit — into a bit more of a heavier kind of music scene that I only discovered after listening to them first.”

It was an abrasive and expressive style of punk rock that was often only performed at underground bars or house shows before making its way into the mainstream. Now that the group is set to embark on an “indefinite hiatus,” local musicians are left reminiscing.

Even though METZ was based in Toronto, something kept them coming back to the East Coast, and they left their mark.

Memories of METZ

Alex Edkins, frontman and guitarist for the Toronto punk act, told CBC that he has fond memories of performing in Newfoundland, even if they’re a bit blurry.

“It’s one of those spots where you just immediately feel welcome, you feel that what you’re doing matters and is appreciated,” said Edkins. “That’s a beautiful thing… we’ve certainly made some lasting friends out there that we’ll always cherish.”

One of those friends is Andrew Waterman of St. John’s. His band, Monsterbator, frequently played with METZ when they visited the city.

The first show they played together was at one of the first Lawnya Vawnya festivals in 2011. Waterman says an organizer for the show told him, “‘We’re getting [METZ] in because pretty soon it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to, because they’re gonna blow up.'”

“But then they played here and it was a perfectly correct estimation,” said Waterman. “I saw what he meant as soon as they started.”

There’s a common theme with every story about those pre-2015 gigs: the intensity. Edkins recalls some “very raucous” crowds during his time on the East Coast. 

The crowds started small, but they were mighty. The mosh pits paired with the flashing lights METZ drummer Hayden Menzies employed created an impenetrable atmosphere.

Waterman says the province’s music scene connected with METZ so well — even though they were outsiders — because it’s what St. John’s was primed for. 

“There have been some pretty great local bands who were really heavy and people loved going to the shows,” he said. 

Every time METZ played in St. John’s, they included local bands on the bill, too. They raised a platform for the city’s talent and provided an outlet for the raw energy it was harnessing, says Waterman. The scene shared a relationship of reciprocity with the band.

Onward and upward

With an innovative experimental sound and Sub Pop record deal that sent them on world tours, METZ exploded shortly after their series of trips to Newfoundland and Labrador in their early years. 

The world clung to them.

“We had a pretty incredible run and so many highs,” said Edkins. “We’ve been able to go to Russia, go to China, Japan, Singapore, all these places that I don’t think any band really thinks they’ll get to visit.”

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment a star is born, but Jeremy Harnum says it might have been with their 2020 album, Atlas Vending. So, he saw them in concert once again in Montreal. 

Harnum still listens to their music to this day, and he connects with it deeply. 

“I came out as a gay man in 2018, so a lot of the music helps me deal with the isolation and the feelings of anxiety around finally becoming comfortable in my own skin,” he said.

For him, the news of METZ’s hiatus was bittersweet. He says it’s always tough to see a band finish up, especially one that is so influential to his style of creating art. Still, he respects the decision.

Light your way home

METZ has a run of shows in Europe and the UK before they see themselves home for the time being. 

It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one, says Edkins.

“We’ve dedicated an immense amount of time and effort into rock and roll, and it’s been more than I could have ever imagined,” Edkins said.

“But now I have to dedicate an immense amount of time to my family and my son.”

At the end of the day, Waterman says METZ was a friend to the St. John’s music scene more than anything.

“I mean, I had them over for Jiggs dinner one time,” Waterman said. “These are the kind of people we’re talking about.”

When the band announced their hiatus in early October, Edkins says the outpouring of love and support from fans — many of them from Newfoundland and Labrador — was “the only thing that made it OK.”

“At the heart of all this, we just wanted to do something positive and hopefully make people happy in some way.”

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