Not a lot of good is happening in 2020. And, most specifically, not a lot of musicians can say that 2020 has been one of the biggest, most productive years in decades. Yet, somehow, LA punk groundbreakers, 42 years into their career, have been firing on all cylinders this year. Not only did bassist Kathy Valentine release a magnificent book chronicling her career, we also finally have a comprehension documentary from the band, detailing the long, sordid history of the band. Then, out of nowhere, we got their first new music in since 2001’s criminally underrated God Bless The Go-Go’s. The song, “Club Zero,” is the spiritual sequel to their 1997 hit “The Whole World Lost It’s Head.” Where TWWLIH was a jittery, anxious number about seemingly the entire world falling to pieces, “Club Zero” is a bold, confident injection of assurance. It’s the song we need right now- not another somber number about the fall of civilization, but a song to fire us up! A song that, in not so many words, reminds us that nobody else is going to take down fascism. Nobody else is going to stop police brutality. Nobody else is going to save our music venues. I’ve been feeling pretty dark lately, thinking that we aren’t going to survive this. We aren’t going to recover. That the combination of Trump and COVID-19 means the end of humanity. “Club Zero” tells you that’s only true if you let it be true.
“Club Zero” can be found in all the usual places. The Go-Go’s premiers on Showtime tonight at 9/8c. The Go-Go’s, sadly, had to move their first full tour with the classic line-up since 2011 to 2021, and those tour dates are slowly trickling in and can be found here!
