Last week was one of the best weeks of my life musically. From Sunday to Sunday there were so many bands I wanted to see and just not enough time to indulge it all. I still managed to get to 4 shows and each of them blew me away on exponentially increasing levels of awesomeness.
Off!/Dick Nasty/Mouthguard
December 4, 2011
The Zoo
It all started last Sunday with Off! Fronted by the first Black Flag singer Keith Morris, it was really a journey back to the good old days of hardcore punk. I felt as if I was back to where it all began. In a hot sweaty venue, listening to loud and fast punk, I was home.
The two local bands, Mouthguard with their skinhead punk and Dick Nasty with their comedic hardcore, complimented the night perfectly. Keith not only sang, he entertained us with stories of his past and even his preachier moments weren't too bad. When it came to the end of their set, they kicked it old school and just started playing their set again from the start as an encore.
This whole night made me wish I was back at the very start of Black Flag.
Future of the Left
December 6, 2011
TYM Guitar instore and The Zoo
The band so nice, I saw them twice! I managed to find out at the last second that Future of the Left were playing an instore at TYM guitars, so I headed over there to watch them play 4 songs for free, with about 50 other people. It was a great time, although slightly awkward. The band and the crowd weren't sure how to react.
A few hours later I was upstairs watching Future of the Left do what they do best. They made a lot of noise, played some old songs, played some new songs, played some McLusky songs and tore down their equipment in a large sonic blast at the end of the set, as pictured above. As always, a great bloody band to see live.
Fucked Up/DZ Deathrays
December 9, 2011
Alhambra
When Fucked Up were announced as the openers for the Foo Fighters/Tenacious D tour, I was mighty jealous. When Fucked Up announced they were going on hiatus not long after this tour, I made a pledge to go to wherever they were playing a sideshow. When the shows in Melbourne and Sydney turned out to be during work trips, I cried inside.
And then magically, a little over 2 weeks ago, they announced a club show in Brisbane. I was so excited I got ticket number 2. A pleasanst surprise came from the DZ Deathrays who were the secret opener, playing their noisy 2 piece drum+guitar rock in Australia for the first time in a very long time.
But then.. Fucked Up. Yes. Alhambra wasn't ready for it. The little barricade in front of the stage could barely hold the band or the crowd away from each other. The security didn't know what to do. They threw out someone next to me, but Damian stopped singing and went out and fetched him back in. The set included many songs old and new, playing my favourites Son the Fater, Police and a hardcore cover of Jingle Bells. There were guitarists crowd surfing, half naked lead singers going crazy throw the crowd, and me singing into the microphone while taking a photo (as above). An amazing night. So glad I finally got to see them play a club show.
Being the nicest guys in hardcore, they even stayed back afterwards and got photos taken with us, gave signatures and just chatted. What a night.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group/Le Butcherettes/Coerce
December 11, 2011
The Zoo
No cameras were allowed at all to this gig, so no photos. It was also the busiest I've seen the Zoo yet this year. Sold out completely, the crowd was almost at capacity as Adelaide band Coerce won me over with their sludgy prog-rock.
Le Butcherettes were an experience, featuring Omar on bass and a girl on vocals/guitar/keyboard and another on drums, this Mexican garage punk band broke many hearts and surprised everyone else. The lead singer put in a performance that had everyone spellbound with the lead singer going absolutely nuts in her gothic Alice in Wonderland-esque blood stained outfit. To me, all I could think of was a combination of The Dresden Dolls with old school Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a bit of the Grates, but with a heck of a lot more attitude and energy. The music was great too. They definitely have a new fan with me.
But the reason everyone was there, was of course Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, of At the Drive-In and the Mars Volta fame. He, and his three-piece band, just played an hour of jam numbers characterised by that guitar sound Omar has made his personal trademark. The skill of these three musicians was amazing, especially Omar. And the best part was how thankful he was to be playing for us. This, from a man that has been selling out stadiums for over 10 years and has been the key guitarist of two of the most influential bands of my time. It was such a privelage to witness this.
I don't think I'll ever have another week of music as amazing as last week was. Time now to rest my weary ears.
