“This is not an advert!”
Sometimes, you need to get the hell out of the house and go to a punk show. Especially in times as trying as these, perhaps because of times as trying as these, it just feels good to go somewhere where you can yell and get all that pent up anger at a seemingly unstoppable corrupt world with a bunch of like minded people. So, I hopped on the scooter and puttered off to Echo Park to the surprisingly dark-lit Echoplex for a night of punk rock fury.
Fissure
Generally speaking, I don’t listen to a lot of grindcore or power noise, but sometimes, it’s the best way to start a night. Fissure, is one of those bands that blasts through a set in under 20 minutes. They are ferociously intense and their lead singer gets a hell of a work out on stage.
Smut
Smut keeps the pace up bringing blazing hardcore with an old school anarcho vibe. True to fashion, they play fast, loud, and angry, blasting through their set almost as fast as Fissure. I always love hearing a bit of old school chorus effects mixed into overdrive and Smut doesn’t disappoint.
Neighborhood Brats
Though they had a bit of a rough start with guitar trouble during the first song it was an easily solved problem with a quick guitar switch and onto some more great music. Front woman Jenny Angelillo is a 40 year old force to be reckoned with. She is limber as a 15 yr old and equally un-fucking-stoppable. Between furious bouts of lyrics she dances wildly, making great use of her space and proving that age doesn’t mean a fucking thing to punk rock. The Brats play old school style but at a modern tempo and a take no prisoners attitude.
Subhumans
It’s certainly true that the Subhumans have been around a long time, but unlike a lot of bands their age, they never lost that spark of youthful energy and fury. Frontman Dick Lucas is a fucking monster, always moving, full of energy that younger people beg for. True to character he spits knowledge between songs effortlessly and vigorously, refusing to allow meaning to be lost.
These guys give younger bands a run for their money and it’s always an absolute blast seeing them perform. They have a new album out and damn if it isn’t a great one. Here’s hoping they keep it going for a lot longer. We sure as hell need them in this world.
