Three
Days of Shows: May 24th-26th
show reviews
This was a surprisingly diverse,
very fun set of shows that took place in Detroit over three days (they were
unrelated to one another). All were
preceded by a not-so-nice 8-hour day at work for me, so these things were a
real solace for me. Two were at some rad
DIY plays that have been gaining influence in our scene as of late, and one was
at a decent bar right around the corner from where I live. All the bands on separate were only connected
by a common metropolitan area, Detroit.
This set of shows is particularly notable because of how diverse it all
was, and how this diversity has been a noteworthy trait for our scene.
Day 1: May 24th, Crow
Manor- Axe Ripper, Tell All Your Friends, Most Heinous
I arrived just as Axe Ripper was
starting- I heard the interlude to “No Way Out” as I was driving by the spot,
quickly finding a parking place and entering.
As it turned out, the set was to be a split set between them and Tell
All Your Friends, a local pop punk band from the Hazel Park/ Warren/ Madison
Heights are (to my knowledge). If this
was a split set, it was a very long one, not what I’m used to seeing in the
length of such sets. In any case, Axe
Ripper’s set really showed them as being a band that sounds killer in a house/
enclosed spot, a very uncommon feature with a metal band. They even got a small pit going, mostly
during their song “Spitting Teeth”, their most punk/ hardcore influenced
song. The set was subject to periodic
tradeoffs with Tell All Your Friends- a band that has a few good songs mixed
with a lot of boring pop punk. Granted,
the band didn’t pull their usual antics of playing for hours on end (which they
have done before), so it’s a positive first step. With it being a mix of short, fast tunes and
longer, more dreary songs, it came off as a Best Idea Ever sort of influenced
band. Pop punkers would like it, but it
lacks the energy that angrier punk/ hardcore has. Oh well- diff’rent strokes for diff’rent blokes.
Then, out came the touring band
from New Orleans, Most Heinous. I had NO
idea what to expect, so when the band cranked out a furious fastcore set
wracked with energy from both the band and the crowd, I was positively taken
aback. Wow- this band feels like it
should have come off the 625 Thrashcore roster, but they didn’t (at least, not
yet). They unleashed one of the best
sets of thrashy hardcore in recent years.
One could make a legitimate comparison to Rat Storm, though this motley
crew had a less politically themed lyrical mindset. Fuckin’ stellar.
Day 2: May 25th, New
Way Bar- Come Out Fighting, Not Ok., Burn the Hearse, Poison Tongues, Fight It
Out, Sawchuk
Come Out Fighting, fresh off their
5-month hiatus, came out fighting indeed.
They banged out some good 90s-era posi-core. Not different enough to be out of step,
exactly, but it’s still a little deviant- worth watching.
Not Ok was a strange mix of punk,
post-hardcore, and a few other odd genres blended into an energetic set that
blew out the voice of singer Brenden. It
was NOT what the general idea of energetic hardcore usually entails, but it
wowed me still. I liked the fact that it
was still heavy and filled with youthful anger and angst. Probably going to be a very diverse band in the
very near future.
Next was Burn the Hearse, a metal
band with some hardcore influences. I
was not big on the band, because mixing metal and hardcore together is a very
daunting, careful task, and my senses indicated that it was not mixed well-
seemed like more of a Hatebreed than a Hirax.
Not my thing, so I’m not really the right person to judge a band like
this.
Poison Tongues followed with- not
too bad of a set by them. They continue
the same sort of angry, nihilistic 90s metalcore Earthmover made popular, just
with a bit of a different sound and name.
The rage has not diluted over time for singer Lenny- this is what
hardcore and punk is about, the raw anger and fury, coupled with the punching
power chords of the guitars. Look out
for their upcoming LP.
Fight It Out was next, and they
busted out with some introverted angry 90s hardcore. Nothing stand out-ish, but I dig it
regardless. I prefer my hardcore to be
about hating other people and being depressed- maybe something’s wrong with me,
but I like to think it’s everyone else.
I suspect I’m not alone.
Closing was Sawchuk- much like
Fight It Out, this is how I like my hardcore, except these dudes are more
anthemic with their songs- it works better for them. Hopefully they keep up the good work.
Day 3: May 26th, The
Gulag- Final Assault, Scum, Krang, Shitfucker
Final Assault cranked out more good
ole’ D-beat anarcho punk- not reinventing the wheel, but making the wheel spin
as best as it can. They came out with a
few new tracks too- it’s always more fun to see the new tracks live first. These vets know how to do their shit- I can’t
find a better anarcho punk band still playing out in the Midwest. You all know how big a fan I am of these
guys- this didn’t disappoint.
Following was Scum, occupants of
the house (3/4, at least). I like the
raw D-beat these guys do- it’s very primitive punk rock, of which I cannot
express any hate for. However, the one
flaw that I can’t escape is the feedback on the recordings (and somewhat so
live as well). I know punk rock isn’t
about being totally professional or perfect, but a degree of effort ought to go
in making a band’s sound clear and discernible.
Sadly, the trend of noise music crossed over into punk, and has made all
the instruments into one giant, fuzzy cluster(fuck). Other than this, the D-beat is strong in
these ones.
Next was Krang, an epic crust band
from Chicago. I was strongly taken aback
by how good this set was- the guitar work alone was amazing. As for the rest, the band seems to have
dropped the political overtones of their music (as found in former band
Expendable Youth) in favor of stranger, far more interesting lyrics; it’s safe
to say that it’s for the better. The
songs are heavy and almost enchanting, like they would belong in some sort of
ancient pagan ritual. At the end of the
set, the band dove into their signature song “Sounds of Death”, which inspired
a giant apartment pit, and had about half the room screaming the chorus to the
song- this image really reminded me of what a punk/ hardcore show is supposed
to be about; an inspiring image, no doubt.
Concluding the night was
Shitfucker, and this time, I don’t know what to think. I think I might have missed something, as I
lack an opinion- not bad or good, I simply was perplexed. There was lots of double bass drumming, which
made for a lot of good headbanging, but other than that, I am truly at a loss
for words on Shitfucker’s set on this given evening. Other people seemed to dig it, though.
These three straight days of punk
shows were some of the better shows of this year, I must say. It lied mostly in the sheer diversity of show
line-ups in such a short spread of time.
It shows that Detroit has a positively heterogeneous pool of
punk-influenced bands who contribute to one overall music scene in a fantastic
way. More times like this in the future,
kthxbai!
-Aunty Social
