Anvil at le Poisson Rouge

Steve "Lips" Kudlow

Guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner were high school friends when they began playing music together in 1973 in Toronto, Canada. By 1978, they had a band called Lips; in 1981, the band became Anvil. The band recorded and toured, but as detailed in the 2008 documentary film, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the band suffered an ongoing streak of bad fortune and never achieved wide popularity. The band presently consists of Lips, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson. Anvil's 17th album, Pounding the Pavement, was released on January 19, 2018.

Anvil headlined le Poisson Rouge tonight, and despite the band's nearly 40-year longevity, the small venue had a light attendance. Anvil nevertheless pummeled through with hard metal, fast guitar licks and light-hearted lyrics. Anvil performed as a power trio, which required each member to excel in his playing, and the three musicians accomplished the goal set before them. There was no career-defining song to anchor the set, but instead the band performed a career-spanning set of hard rocking songs that incited head banging and fist pumping responses. Classic metal fans might not necessarily name Anvil as their favorite band, but the Anvil concert demonstrated that the genre still breathes.