Coathangers - Teen Liver - Dudes -- Comet Ping Pong - Aug 27 2013

Dudes - I realize this is going to be a night of raw, primitive rock music, but this band's noisy din will make the next two bands sound like the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever. There is a guy drumming and contributing vocals with a couple of ladies out front on guitar and bass with some lead vocals, too. If the Coathangers remind me of the Raincoats, then this is one of those rare bands that brings back memories of the frightening Teddy and the Frat Girls. Well, not quite, as I have yet to see anything that scary in the last 30-some years. But this worked for me and was a highly appropriate opening set. It probably helped that they did not push their limits with the fifteen minutes of noisy joy they provided.

Teen Liver - Oh, a transvestite dancer named Heidi Glum lip-synched "Cherry Bomb" in between sets and did another one later. If you blinked, you missed it. But next up was a local trio made up with some members of Cigarette. This is every bit as noisy and crude garage rock, but since these guys can play, it is up a few notches from the opening set. They have the right vocal style with an Angry Samoans humor and the music is also in that vein, mixed in with some thicker punk like the Drones or some other obscure British late 70s act. There was just enough bounce in their step to keep this lively and enjoyable. They may be just another good garage band or perhaps just a wee bit better.

The Coathangers - Georgia's Coathangers are now a trio and the keyboards are not terribly missed as they still pack a wallop with their on-kilter caterwauling and rhythmic power. I have seen them many times and they never fail to deliver their brand of crazy fun that takes you back to the 'form a band and get up stage days' of early punk rock. Yet they have been doing this a while and have sharpened up quite a bit, while not losing their in-your-face attitude and energy. They even chose a brilliant cover tonight, the Gun Club's "Sex Beat", which could have been written for or by them. I can't read my notes and it appears I wrote something about 'tuning their shrapnel' which is far more descriptive than what I actually wrote. Say what you will, but if you ever liked real punk rock, this is a band you owe it to yourself to see. They filled the room with quite a few rabid fans tonight, which is impressive for a Tuesday night at a club with less frequent weekday shows.

Quote of the Night: From the opening band... "This is our last song... of all-time."