Madonna/
Outlook at the Void- 4/27/12 show review
Originally, this show was set to
have four bands: Xtra Vomit, Madonna,
Dip Shit System, and Outlook. Under a
few strange circumstances, D.S.S. and Xtra Vomit weren’t able to play, leaving
just two bands for this show. I can’t
say if it mattered or not, but I’d say no, since these two bands brought it
hard. Madonna is a new fastcore band
from G.R. with former members of XShallowbreathx. For being new, the guys had a lot of
energy. After a couple of songs, I
noticed that these guys didn’t even have a bass player! What’s with this trend? A band sounds incomplete without a bass
player, just like a band would sound incomplete without a guitar player or a
drummer. Still, this was blistering,
raging fastcore in the vein of D.O.C., Backslider, Beartrap, Holy Shit!,
Sick//Tired, etc. I bet a demo tape is
well on its way. I hope that it doesn’t
start with a Black Sabbath riff intro, though.
Next were Olympian sons of hardcore
Outlook. At the start of the set, it
became clear that the most exemplary part of the band was their live set. Though I’d had a small amount of exposure to
the band before seeing them (I downloaded the songs on their now-sold out “Vision”
tape), nothing prepared me for their live set.
Washington sure knows how to do their youth crew- Brotherhood, Champion,
now… Outlook. The guitarist and drummer
reamed with energy, cranking out riffs and beats as though the sounds were
coming from with their souls, while the bassist had a sort of calming yet
energetic presence, and singer Adrienne was the forefront of the band,
screaming her lyrics with palpable passion.
Truth be told, this is probably the best female-fronted punk rock I’ve
ever seen live (tied with Question, just FYI).
I was truly floored by the furious energy she gave off. Perhaps if more females could front bands
like this, the patriarchy in place will begin to shake, too. Outlook certainly left a musical impression
on me.
After discovering that this was
going to be “it” for the show, I figured I would make it worth the drive out
there by hanging out with and interviewing the band. After everyone else cleared out (aside from
the house residents and the band), I busted out my tape recorder, and me and
the band went back and forth with questions, answers, and short
discussions. I later discovered that my
tape recorder is incredibly insensitive to sound, and most of the interview did
not actually make it onto the tape. This
being so, I’ll summarize a few points of this interview:
·
New Direction Fest- this is a three-day fest put
on by the band themselves in Washington state, and it’s mostly booked as of
now. It’s partly a music fest, but there
are also workshops and info stations present that will be there to aid in
battling ignorance and informing attendees about how to better one’s community
and life.
·
The band started back in 2009- all members of
the band are in their early to mid 20s, and live mostly normal lives in the
Olympia area. They are mostly vegan or
vegetarian, and singer Adrienne personally abides by straight edge.
·
The band has self-released everything- their
tape, their 7”, and their LP. Now that’s
dedication.
·
Towards the end of the interview, as the tape
was winding down, the band did an absolutely wonderful rendition of “Hurry Up
Harry” in unison.
·
For the guitarist, James: Yoda’s penis.
Well worth the long drive to see
them! Check the two bands out, anyone
and everyone!
-Aunty Social
