Montreal based veteran rockers, and RFL Entertainment recording artists, Playhouse, return with their 5-song EP Broken And The Damned, a musical testament to growing up in the 70’s, coming of age in the 80’s, “maturing” in the 90’s, and not giving a f*ck in the 2000’s.
Review by Perrin Wolfson
Touching on influences from Poison and Bryan Adams to Nirvana and Nickelback, fans of guitar-based rock, no matter the generation, will find themselves tapping along on the steering wheel to a diverse bunch of songs guaranteed to transport the listener to a happy, simpler time.
From the grunge infused, catchy first single/album opener Black Clouds, to the uptempo, introspective title track, to the fountain of youth invoking record closer Take Over The World, Playhouse take the listener on a joyride guaranteed to please. Expertly produced by Kevin Jardine at Uplift Recording Studio in Montreal, the mix perfectly captures the mood of every song. Delivered with conviction, passion and energy, Broken And The Damned is sure to top the list as one of the indie releases of 2025 when all is said and done. “Everything old, is new again…”
Their new album, “Broken And The Damned”, working once again with legendary Canadian producer Kevin Jardine (Faith No More, Mastodon, Run DMC, Cypress Hill, Anthrax, Korn, Sepultura, Beastie Boys, 3rd Bass, Men Without Hats). This new material will appeal to the bands core fans, but will also be expressive and inviting to new listeners as well. The new album is tighter and picks up right where “Dancing With Funerals” left off. The album opens with the powerful new single “Black Clouds,” which packs the punch on a heavier edge, but still has that catchy, rock groove that has been a staple of Playhouse for almost 4 decades.
Vocalist Peter Cat On Writing “Black Clouds:”
“Black Clouds” is a song that I started writing on my couch. I brought fragments of the song to the band and our producer and they brought it to life! I suppose it’s a reflection of the times we are in; a revelation to always let the light shine through the dark moments that we all find ourselves in.“
Formed in 1987, five high school friends set out to be the biggest rock band to ever come out of Canada. With a reputation for their high energy shows and big anthems, they quickly began filling every club & theater that they played. The band was destined for global success, selling thousands of copies of their two EP’s; 1988’s ‘Little Monster‘ and 1990’s ‘Tongue, Tied & Twisted‘. Just like so many bands in the early 90’s, the success that seemed to be theirs for the taking never fully manifested and after almost a decade of decadence and steady touring in support of such bands as Extreme, Killer Dwarfs, Lee Aaron and Harem Scarem, the band decided to call it quits. It was an end of an era………but some things never fully come to an end.
Fast forward to 2016 – the band reunites and enters the studio with veteran producer and guitarist of Slaves on Dope; Kevin Jardine, to record new songs. In 2017, for the 1st time in 25 years, Playhouse returned to the stage with a sold out comeback show in Montreal, Canada. Many high profile shows followed, including opening slots for The Dead Daisies, L.A. Guns, Buckcherry, Dizzy Reed’s Hookers & Blow, Helix, and Warrior Soul. The band also releases their first album ‘The Rock N’ Roll Circus‘ to critical acclaim in 2018 and followed that up with a single and video, ‘Revolution Tonight‘, in 2020..
The bands new single "Black Clouds," is available across all digital media outlets worldwide. Stream it now on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4UKseTvTBuoMc6mrYTse9l?si=5fcf8424ddb94f94&nd=1&dlsi=f70cf687b1e94f46
Playhouse Is:
Vocals: Peter Cat
Bass: Danny Williams
Guitar: KK
Guitar: Eric “Freak” Westergard
Drums: Sam Harrison
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