History Repeated - Delarcos - Plurals -- Black Cat - Jan 13 2015

Plurals - This Baltimore quintet has two female vocalists, one on bass and one on keyboards that don't work. There are a couple guys on guitar and one on the drums. Since the keyboard doesn't work, the player says she will sing the parts. Shambolic? Perhaps, but it is all quite brilliant thirty minutes later. The sound is thick grungy punk that succeeds in clarifying itself as needed through interesting guitar moves and intense and creative vocal lines. They remind me of a cross of X-Ray Spex and the Bags with a few post punk moves in the mix. Crazed spirit, Vocal sirens, way cool music here that works with the sizable crowd in the back room. This was a blast and the day I stop liking this is the day I give it all up including a sizable chunk of my record collection. But I can't see that happening when a band like this brings a smile to my face.

 Delarcos - A bit of an all-star lineup where I recognize some faces and get a little info from a scene veteran on others. They have a couple guitars, rhythm section and a full-time saxophone all working to create a loose and dense brand of post harDCore. It's actually more mid tempo punk with a nod toward Flipper. There is not quite the genius of that, but there is a wonderful method to the madness here. This would be less effective on record in your living room, but it is brilliant in a small club. And to quote the next band's vocalist, 'the fun just never ends'.

History Repeated - This band has been a secret weapon in the DC area for some time. Recognition has been a bit slow, but the smart set has always been around for this quartet led by the inimitable John Stabb. Long one of the absolute best front men in DC, he can still bring his half crazed style to the stage. The rest of the band is rock solid with Derrick's guitar moves always bringing an edgy excitement to these songs. The post punk slashing and gnashing create a powerful environment to get lost in for about 50 minutes or so. These guys don't play out all too frequently, so keep your eyes peeled for future shows as it both a chance to see history repeated and even a bit of history created.

Quote of the Night: After opening with some songs of divorce and breakup, John Stabb introduces the next song... "This is a the positive uplifting song about getting married. It's called 'Just Buried'."

Thanks to Davis White for the pic's from the show!