British punk legends the Damned have announced winter tour dates for the United Kingdom. They put on a great live show, and catching them in their homeland would be outstanding. Tickets are on sale now for the Evil Spirits tour, so don’t wait to snag some if you’re in the UK or planning a trip there this winter.
Keep your mind open.
Washington D.C. punks Priests have unleashed a lot of post-punk / no wave protest music in the last year, and the world is better for it. They’re smack dab in the middle of the current political climate’s hotbed, and they’re not just speaking out, they’re shouting out. A lot of their songs build to high tension, which is an apt reflection for much of the country right now.
Priests open the Green Stage at the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 14th. It’s sure to be a raucous way to start the day.
Keep your mind open.
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Hi-res photos/album art: http://pitchperfectpr.
Oh Sees Online:
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https://www.castlefacerecords.
https://www.castlefacerecords.
I was delighted to discover Japanese pop-punk legends Shonen Knife were playing in Tucson (at the nice little club / art space 191 Toole) while I was recently there. I’d never seen them, and their “Ramen Adventure Tour” included original bassist Atsuko, original guitarist Naoko, and new drummer Risa. Tickets were only $15.00, so this was a must-see.
Opening for them were local new wave / post-punk outfit Shooda Shook It. They showed up in matching black and white outfits and checkerboard masks that made them look like either luchadors or obscure Bronze Age comic book villains.
They were funky, groovy, and good. They played a set that started like early Devo, then ventured into early Talking Heads-like stuff, and then a neat blend of surf-punk and P-funk. I need to track down their stuff.
Shonen Knife came out to a rousing chorus of cheers.
They ripped out a set of stuff from their newest record, Adventure, including “Jump into the New World” and “Green Tangerine” – which was sung by their outstanding (and adorable) drummer, Risa.
They then played a big “food” set of songs related to food, including “Banana Chips,” “Ramen Rock,” “Sushi Bar,” “Wasabi,” “Fruits and Vegetables,” and “Barbecue Party.” I was bouncing like a delighted schoolgirl during “Banana Chips” and the crowd chants during “Sushi Bar” were great.
Other highlights were “Twist Barbie,” “Capybara,” and “Bear Up Bison,” which I thought was a fun addition to a set in the southwest. Their encore included their cover of “Daydream Believer” and the heavy classic “Bakka Guy,” which proves Shonen Knife could’ve been a doom metal band if they’d wanted.
It was a solid set that lasted just under an hour. They promised their set in Tempe the next day would be entirely different and they’d have different costumes (all of which are designed by Atsuko, by the way).
My wife said I was “crushing on them,” and she was right. I geeked out for them hard. I didn’t realize how much I needed a fun pop-punk show until then, let alone how much Shonen Knife material is out there I still don’t have. I hope I can catch them again sooner rather than later.
Keep your mind open.
I’ve wanted to see the Damned for a long while and was bummed that I missed them when they played Chicago’s Riot Fest a couple years ago. Lo and behold, they came to the U.S. again for a 40th anniversary tour, and this time I was able to catch them with Bleached opening for them. That’s a win-win.
I saw Bleached in October of last year in Cleveland. They put on a good show, so I figured they’d be solid again. I did not know that they would be even better in just six months’ time. It was quickly evident (within two songs when they were absolutely gunning on “Trying to Lose Myself Again” from Welcome the Worms) that Bleached has seriously upped their game in just half a year. They powered through many cuts off their excellent new EP Can You Deal? and even one I hadn’t heard before (“Electric Chair”). I was gobsmacked by the end of their set. I caught up with sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin at their merch table between the first and second encores of the Damned. I told them their set was a home run and how much they’d improved since Cleveland.
“Being on this tour has been really good for us,” Jennifer Clavin told me. “Playing in front of a lot of people who don’t know us has really made us work on our stage presence.”
“It’s only been six months!” Jessie Clavin said.
“I know,” I said. “That’s what make it more impressive.”
Speaking of impressive, the Damned were just that.
“We’re back from the mists of time,” said lead guitarist Captain Sensible, “to save the world from shitty music like Mumford and Sons!”
The band tore into literal floor-shaking classics like “Generals,” “Disco Man,” and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” before a mosh pit finally broke out during “Love Song.” The first of two beers went flying through the air during this. For the record, I’ve been in some wild, fun crowds at the House of Blues. I’ve never seen cups of beer, hats, shoes, and jackets thrown into the air during a show there until I saw the Damned play there.
I stayed in the pit for “Love Song” and “Street of Dreams.” The Damned continued a great set (and Captain Sensible kept decrying Mumford and Sons – as well as Kurt Vile, whom he called a “pillock,” Duran Duran, KISS, and Billy Idol) that included such fine tracks as “Eloise,” “Wait for the Blackout,” and “The History of the World (Part 1).”
Of course, the crowd (and I) went berserk during “Neat Neat Neat” and “New Rose.” Moshing to those punk classics was a dream come true for me. Truth to tell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear “Neat Neat Neat” live, so being in the middle of a friendly mosh pit ten feet from David Vanian as he sung it was great.
As I mentioned earlier, they played two encores. The first included “Jet Boy Jet Girl,” sung by the Captain, “Noise Noise Noise,” and “Smash It Up.” The last track especially showed off keyboardist Monty Oxymoron’s skill. The second encore included “Nasty” (the first Damned song I ever heard thanks to them performing it on The Young Ones) and “Antipope.” A guy near me had been yelling for “Antipope” for the last third of the show, so I was happy for him (and all of us) that they played it. He went bananas.
It was a fun show. They haven’t lost anything. Sensible is still a great guitarist and Vanian (“the Vincent Price of rock,” as Capt. Sensible called him) still commands a stage like few can. The Damned are touring extensively throughout the U.S. before they head to Europe. Catch them if you’re near you.
By the way, here’s the list of things I found on the floor during and after the mosh pit: A button labeled “GW,” a spiked bracelet (belonging to a guy in a Misfits jacket behind me), a nickel, an opened (but thankfully unused) condom, a peacock keychain and attached house key (belonging to a young woman I found after the final encore), a hat (owner unknown), and a sweater (owner unknown). A guy next to me in the pit found a cell phone. I don’t know if he ever found the owner.
Keep your mind open.
DASHER ANNOUNCE SIGNING TO JAGJAGUWAR,
SHARE NEW SINGLE “WE KNOW SO“
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Chicago funk-punks So Pretty (Ashley Holman – guitar, vocals, Stefan Lindgren – drums, vocals, Rachel Manter – guitar, bass, vocals, ukulele, James Seminara – bass, guitar, vocals) seemed to have walked out of a John Waters movie. They’re brash, a bit trashy, self-deprecating, and snarky. Their second album, Suck It Up, is like a refreshing gulp of fruit punch that you realized is spiked with gin about thirty seconds later.
I first heard the band, and Suck It Up‘s opener, “Comfort Service,” when I saw them play in Chicago earlier this year. Manter delivers a fiery rant from the perspective of a 1%’er chewing out hotel staff. I can’t help but wonder if she works or used to work in a hotel and wrote it as a middle finger to dickweed tenants. Basil Fawlty would love this tune.
Manter’s vocals and the band’s hard hitting on “Think Again” show they could start a metal project if they wanted. Holman takes over vocals on “Blueberry Blues,” in which she screams that she wants “to be punk rock royalty.” She’s well on her way, judging by the vocal and guitar shredding she unleashes on the track.
You can’t help but think of the Violent Femmes (thanks to the ukulele and funky beat) during “Nice Guys,” an ode to guys who treat women well and women who prefer to date douchebags. The following track, “Whisper Corner,” is like a left hook to the liver after the gentle feint of “Nice Guys.” It has Seminara and Lindgren unleashing a sonic assault in under two minutes.
“Chub Rub” is probably about what you think it is, and it’s a fun, trashy punk number. They get funky on “Limbo,” with Seminara singing about the rut of modern living (“I felt a little bit better when I felt a bit strange.”).
“Manhandler” has Holman returning to lead vocals and she and Manter crank the distortion on their guitars. It’s like a Bikini Kill track, and Holman’s ass-chewing of the song’s subject is great. Whereas that track reminds me of Bikini Kill, “No Hamburger” reminds me of Sleater-Kinney with its nice double vocals from Holman and Manter.
The album ends with the gloriously weird “Don’t Give Up the Ship” as Seminara sounds like a drunk trying to explain the world’s problems to everyone stopped at the red light. The whole band goes bonkers by the end of it, ending the album in a frenzy of punk chaos.
This is a fun record. Fun punk, and especially good fun punk, is hard to find nowadays. It’s nice to hear So Pretty keeping punk not only alive, but fun.
Keep your mind open.
Photo: Dod Morrison
<<< w/ Alice Bag & The Sissy Bears
I once read a YouTube comment on a video of the MC5 (Michael Davis – bass and vocals, Wayne Kramer – guitar, piano, bass, vocals, Fred Smith – guitar, organ, harmonica, vocals, Dennis Thompson – drums, percussion, vocals, Rob Tyner – lead vocals, harmonica, percussion) in concert that said going to one of their shows was akin to an act of defiance. The MC5 embraced a punk rock political ethic before anyone knew what punk rock was, and their angry, wall-flattening sound and blatant references to sex, drugs, and sticking it to the Man were shocking at the time. The Big Bang! The Best of the MC5 is a great collection from Rhino Records that documents the band’s growth from garage rockers to Midwest rock giants who wouldn’t get their full due in other parts of the country until well after they called it quits.
Opening with one of their earliest singles, “I Can Only Give You Everything,” you can hear the band creating the raucous sound that would become their trademark. Wayne Kramer’s guitar riffs influenced everyone from the Smithereens to Nirvana. “Looking at You” is so fuzzy and frenetic that I’m sure Ty Segall plays it every night before he goes to bed. Kramer’s guitars on it are like something from a horror movie score. “I Just Don’t Know” is sweaty, dirty blues with thumping bass from Davis and Kramer’s guitars attacking you from all directions.
The next four tracks are from the band’s debut album, Kick Out the Jams, which was a live recording no less. “Ramblin’ Rose” begins with a testimonial call to arms by a friend of the band, Brother J.C. Crawford (“I wanna hear some revolution out there! Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide if you are going to be the problem or you are going to be the solution!”), before the MC5 make you feel like that guy in the chair from the Memorex ad and Kramer (who takes a turn at lead vocals) sings to the rafters. Their biggest hit, “Kick Out the Jams,” follows. It is so powerful that it feels like it might open a rift in space-time and pull you back to Halloween 1968 in Detroit when they recorded it. “Come Together” is a cheeky song about sex in which Tyner pretty much details getting off with his lady. “Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)” is almost relentless as it hits with heavy grooves and chanting vocals.
The next eight tracks are from their second album, Back in the U.S.A. “Tonight” calls for kids to “get together and have a ball” and reveals the band’s love of blues (especially in Davis’ bass). “Teenage Lust” calls to every one of their fans; as does “High School” (“Kids want a little action, kids want a little fun.”), which most likely inspired a good chunk of the Ramones’ catalogue. “Call Me Animal” has some of Thompson’s best drumming. The whole song has a beat you can’t shake. “The American Ruse” is a great example of the MC5’s political leanings (“They told you in school about freedom, but when you try to be free they don’t let ya.”). Tyner’s lyrics are scathing and still hold weight today. “Shakin’ Street” is another salute to American youth, this time with Smith on lead vocals. The title of “The Human Being Lawnmower” made it too risqué for much radio play, which is a shame because it’s a crazy, near-psychedelic freak-out of a tune. The title track to the album is a cover of the Chuck Berry classic. The MC5 worshipped at Berry’s altar, and they do him great homage.
The next five tracks are from High Time, starting with the powerful “Sister Anne” – a song about a tough, foxy nun (and listen to that harmonica solo!). “Baby Won’t Ya” brings a bit of soul to the MC5’s heavy rock as Tyner sings about a familiar subject – wanting sex – and Kramer sizzles on guitar. “Miss X” starts with simple piano chords, but then the guitars stroll into the room like professional hitmen and the song takes on a sinister edge for the next five minutes as Tyner sings a ballad, believe it or not. “Over and Over” is another biting rant not only at politicians, but also at people who only give lip service to revolutionary action. Tyner goes for broke on it, his voice nearly cracking multiple times throughout the track. “Skunk (Sonically Speaking)” brings in a full horn section, adding a wild funk the band was exploring just before they split up for good.
The compilation ends, wisely, with another live track – “Thunder Express.” It’s a great jam with Kramer making it sound easy on guitar and Thompson sounds like he’s having a ball behind his kit.
The MC5 were up for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, and they will (and damn well should) get in one of these years. They still influence bands to this day, their live performances couldn’t be touched, and finding bands that match their fury today is difficult. They made a big bang in the 1970’s, and it still resonates.
Keep your mind open.
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