History Repeated - History was repeated rather quickly for those attending tonight's show who also took in Mission of Burma the night before where this fine local band also opened the festivities. I missed the Burma show so I cannot compare, but having seen this John Stabb led quartet many a time, it is still more repeated history for me. And it is memorable history at that for these guys always put on an entertaining set. It's jagged rock mixing classic punk and post-punk with plenty of flair and personality. They had it going on tonight even though it was a crowd more fit for the downstairs room when the set began. The crowd improved enough to justify the bigger room and I will never understand a late coming audience on a Sunday. But for those that were here, they are sufficiently warmed and ready for the LA invasion.
Weirdos - Well, the 35+ year wait to see this legendary LA punk band was worth it. The Denny brothers along with veteran Zander Schloss and a younger drummer are here with all those great songs from Dangerhouse and Bomp singles and beyond. They still managed to bring that crazed edge to their thick classic and speedy punk rock sound. They are a bit like the darker crazier alter ego of the Dickies. The crowd really got off on this music and they kept getting louder and more involved as the set went on with these veterans just banging out song after song with very little down time. The sound is really thick and melodic with great snarly vocals that are a lot more fun than the testerone vocal style employed by many hardcore bands that followed. There are still a number of Dangerhouse bands from LA who I have never had the chance to see, and some that will be impossible to see, but these guys were top of the list and they delivered on all the hopes I had for this show.
The Adolescents - If this set was a little anti-climatic, it was only for me due to having seen this excellent band three times previously and also the disappointment that this was the first time someone named Agnew was not one of the guitarists. But Tony and Steve were there with their excellent vocal work and bass playing and the new recruits delivered the great melodies of one of the most fun bands from the LA scene. Rarely are backing vocals employed as well as this (Naked Raygun comes to mind where they are as integral in the songs). They played a rousing set tonight that kept the crowd going the whole time with a mix of songs from all eras of their band, of course neglecting very little from their essential first album. Tony still has that odd 'third-person' style with his banter and stage presence, perhaps partly due to fronting a band called the Adolescents in his fifties. But he still has the voice and sense of humor to keep things moving and the band was on the mark tonight. So ultimately, I had a lot of fun. This is one excellent tour showcasing the essential early LA scene and how it still works today.
Facebook grab of the night: A while back, I reposted this 'review' that the Damned's Captain Sensible had posted. I want to show it again as it really speaks to younger music fans of how difficult it was to gain acceptance for the great music that came out of the punk rock scene. Yes, many critics unlike this one 'got it', but radio did not and many music fans turned up their noses without even trying to understand the brilliance of this sound and why it was such a healthy injection into the music world in the late 1970s. And as Captain Sensible reminded people, the Damned are still here, the magazine that published this is long gone.
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