Tag Archives: punk

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We Love Music: Ought @ DC9 –10/16/14

Ought (Photo courtesy Constellation Records)

Ought (Photo courtesy Constellation Records)

Tim Beeler is on your stage, and he has something he wants to say to you.

Guitar in hand, sometimes he sings it to you, but just as often it seems, he speaks over the snappy art punk beats of his band, Ought.

And Beeler wants to talk about being in the moment, being in love, putting things together — but all in a perspective from “every man.” In that way perhaps, the lanky vocalist is extremely reminiscent of David Byrne or Lou Reed in his delivery.

Thursday night at DC9, Ought opened with “Today More Than Any Other Day,” an amazing tribute really to living one’s life. It’s a bit like lyrics by Byrne superimposed over melodies that could have come from Television. Musically, Ought could have sprung straight from 1977 via New York City.

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Hot Ticket: Buzzcocks @ Black Cat, 9/4/14

After the Sex Pistols shook up the U.K. music scene in 1976, new music groups exploded across the country, and perhaps the city of Manchester cultivated the most intriguing of the bands that resulted.

Among them: the Buzzcocks, the legendary punk popsters, who have released a new album, The Way, this year.

It’s remarkable that the Buzzcocks have managed to stay together despite an extended breakup in the ’80s; more remarkable that the band retains two of its original members in vocalists and guitarists Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle; and absolutely most remarkable that the new album (funded through PledgeMusic) sounds pretty good from the tracks I’ve heard.

In support of the new album, the Buzzcocks visit the Black Cat tonight to launch a North American tour, and they are sure to play lots of classics, including “What Do I Get,” “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” and “Orgasm Addict,” as well.

Buy tickets online or at the door (although I warn you, they sold out at the last minute when the Buzzcocks last came to the Black Cat on May 11, 2010, as We Love DC reported then).

The Buzzcocks
w/ Loud Boyz
Black Cat
Thursday, Sept. 4
Doors @8pm
$25
All ages

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Priests and Potty Mouth @ DC9 — 1/08/14

Nervosas, Pygmy Lush, Priests, Dudes | The Pinch | 12/7/13 andradeXcobain

Okay, Priests, I’m in love with you guys.

I went to DC9 Wednesday night initially to check out Potty Mouth, the four-woman band from central Massachusetts, in a sold-out show as they passed through promoting their first album, Hellbent. Local post-hardcore punks Priests opened for the Potty Mouth ladies, and I was completely blown away.

Let’s start with singer Katie Alice Greer, a young blonde bombshell wrapped in blue velvet. The frontwoman jumped, rolled and screamed her way through 20 minutes of furious condemnations of television, consumerism and relationships. She balanced some tough lyrics with being playful and chatty with the audience. Offstage, she’s composed and curious, making her onstage transformation to a screaming punk banshee all that more startling.

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Hot Ticket: Potty Mouth @ DC9, 1/8/14

Potty Mouth (photo courtesy of Big Hassle)

Potty Mouth (photo courtesy of Big Hassle)

Hailing from North Hampton, Mass., punk quartet Potty Mouth visits DC to perform at DC9 on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The young band of women includes Abby Weems on vocals and rhythm guitar, Ally Einbinder on bass, Phoebe Harris on lead guitar and Victoria Mandanas on drums.

The ladies took a few minutes out of their touring schedule to answer a few questions for We Love DC via email.

Mickey: There have been a rush of young bands today embracing psychedelic or folk tendencies. Against this backdrop, Potty Mouth seems pretty refreshing with its guitar-driven punk melodies. Do you feel like you’re doing something different than your peers in your style of music?

Abby: I don’t think we’re doing anything that different than our peers. We were conceived out of an area with a lot of musical background, especially with punk elements, that it feels natural to be playing the way we do.

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We Love Music: Hugh Cornwell @ Black Cat –12/5/13

Hugh Cornwell IMG_7040 Klaas Guchelaar

As some active music icons age, they often move away from the musical styles and lyrical causes that propelled them to public consciousness. They expand to new sounds or find new grounds, and they may bear little resemblance to their old selves.

While such an evolution may be understandable, it’s sometimes disappointing. While not everyone has to be Billy Bragg to maintain some degree of consistency in musical philosophy, it’s nice to see a sensible evolution in a musical career — rather than, say, searching for something new at age 50 to new discernible musical benefit.

Enter Hugh Cornwell, a punk icon who remains completely recognizable because he seems largely to be the same man he was at the beginning of his career but perhaps more mellow. He may be a case of a young punk rocker with a satiric bite but often soft sentimentalities, who becomes an older punk rocker with a no less satiric bite and more pronounced sentimentalities. In an appearance backstage at the Black Cat last Thursday, Dec. 5, Cornwell played a solid set drawn from this new album, Totem & Taboo, as well as a number of selections from his old band The Stranglers.

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The Winning Ticket: Gogol Bordello @ 9:30 Club, 12/27/13

GogolBordelloF_V2As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader periodically. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to find out what tickets we’re giving away, and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Gogol Bordello at the 9:30 Club on Friday, Dec. 27.

Bringing Eastern European culture to us via New York City, Gogol Bordello released its sixth studio album, Pura Vida Conspiracy, back in July. As has become a tradition, the self-proclaimed “gypsy punk” band is hitting the 9:30 Club for two nights of revelry on Friday, Dec. 27, and Saturday, Dec. 28.

While the band (through various lineup changes) have consistently recorded high-energy klezmer, their off-the-wall live shows are truly the toast of their fans. Here is your opportunity to see what it’s all about for free — or perhaps to attend another? (I once knew a guy who went to more than 50 Gogol shows!)

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 10am and 5pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps share your favorite song by Gogol Bordello! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Gogol Bordello
w/ Man Man
9:30 Club
Friday, Dec. 27
doors @8pm
$35
All ages

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: The Dismemberment Plan, 10/20/13

DismembermentFAs a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader periodically. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to find out what tickets we’re giving away, and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Dismemberment Plan at the 9:30 Club on Sunday, Oct. 20. The D-Plan actually are playing two shows in a row at the 9:30 Club–Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20–but our giveaway is specifically for the Sunday show.

The Dismemberment Plan have officially reunited to the delight of their many fans, and the band has its first new album, Uncanney Valley, in 10 years coming out tomorrow, Oct. 15. The new album, which I have not yet heard, is said to sound a lot like The Dismemberment Plan we know and love, but perhaps a little older and a little wiser. The Plan’s well-received shows over the past few years already demonstrate the emo rockers still sound great, so you know you’re in for a good time.

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 10am and 4pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps share your favorite song by The Dismemberment Plan! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

The Dismemberment Plan
w/ Paint Branch
9:30 Club
Sunday, Oct. 20
doors @7pm
$25
All ages

 

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We Love Music: Blondie w/ X @ 9:30 Club — 9/9/13

Chris Stein, Exene Cervenka and Debbie Harry (Photo by Mark Weiss)

Chris Stein, Exene Cervenka and Debbie Harry (Photo by Mark Weiss)

Maybe it’s true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but sometimes there is remarkably more to be found in those old tricks than you might think.

Such might be said to be the case with Blondie, the iconic new wave group that now refuses to go away despite a 15-year break in the 80s and 90s. Recharged and on a roll, the band is back with a 10th studio album dropping this fall–Ghosts of Download–which comes only two years after their last album, Panic of Girls. The group took to influences from the current world of electronic dance music (EDM) when coming up with songs for the new album. And the EDM-flavored material blends very well with a group that was equally comfortable putting out disco smashes and space-punk rockers. In that way, Blondie were well ahead of the game when it came to adapting to the times.

To prove the point, Debbie Harry and her cohorts opened their super sold-out show at the 9:30 Club on Monday night with the crowd-pleasing “One Way or Another” from their very excellent third album Parallel Lines, released in 1979. They then rolled into a song from the new album called “Rave,” a dance number that with a crisp upbeat tempo that pairs well with Harry’s voice. The discoesque number melded very well with Blondie classics and also sounded like it would be a welcome new song to mix in with new EDM beats.

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Hot Ticket: Blondie and X @ 9:30 Club, 9/9/13

Chris Stein, Debbie Harry and Clem Burke (Photo courtesy of Press Here)

Chris Stein, Debbie Harry and Clem Burke (Photo courtesy of Press Here)

As a young music collecting kid, I undoubtedly came across the sixth studio album by Blondie, The Hunter, in the cassette selection of a retailer like K-Mart or Ames. “Neat!” I probably said while snapping it up in 1982, little realizing that the band already had broken up and this likely was their last album.

Flash forward to 1997, and I’m living here in DC, so I get to go the HFStival at RFK Stadium, where Blondie stage an unlikely reunion to play their first public show in 15 years. Wow! And then the band awakens to put out a few more albums before continuing to tour for many more years.

Recently, the band has surprised me yet again with another burst of creative activity, releasing the calypso-flavored Panic of Girls in 2011 and now returning with a new album, Ghosts of Download, to be released this fall. The first single, “A Rose By Any Name,” featuring The Gossip’s Beth Ditto on guest vocals, is a welcome dance number with nu disco flourishes. The album reportedly holds quite a few tracks influenced by today’s electronic dance music (EDM) movement.

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The Winning Ticket: Paul Weller @ 9:30 Club, 7/30/13

PaulWellerF

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader periodically. Keep your eyes open for opportunities at 9am once a week or so to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Paul Weller at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, July 30.

Holy cow, did I say Paul Weller? Yes, indeed, the Modfather is coming to Washington, DC. Weller has been putting out solo albums for more than 20 years, but many still hold his work as lead singer of The Jam in the highest regard. In 2012, Weller released a new album, Sonik Kicks, that went all the way to the top of the UK album charts. With songs like “That Dangerous Age,” Weller sings of an older man’s life concerns but still from a point of punk rock idealism. He’s also been known to revisit some of the best selections from The Jam like “That’s Entertainment,” a young man’s ode to finding fun on the streets.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but you should tell me your favorite song by Weller, The Jam or the Style Council! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Paul Weller
w/ Matthew Ryan
9:30 Club
Tuesday, July 30
doors @7pm
$45
All ages

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Sweetlife Festival @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 5/11/13

Phoenix headlined the festival (Photo courtesy Sweetlife Festival)

Phoenix headlined the festival (Photo courtesy Sweetlife Festival)

The Sweetlife Festival very much fulfilled the promise implied by its name Saturday, May 11, delivering la dolce vita in a well organized celebration of music and food at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.

I’m not traditionally the biggest fan of going to concerts at the DC-area outdoor pavilions — much less festivals after the chaos that accompanies the Virgin FreeFest annually at Merriweather. But Sweetlife made excellent use of the place, offering a mainstage, a “treehouse stage,” and a dance floor in the small 9:30 Clubhouse (officially, the 9:32 Club) on the grounds — all of which dissolved into an energetic performance by headliner Phoenix at the end of the night.

Food vendors, trucks and restaurants set themselves up in neat rows in various portions of the grounds and concertgoers queued up to patronize them around the clock. My companion and I parked and shuffled into the pavilion without difficulty and make our way toward lunch, pausing to check out Solange Knowles, performing an early set on the main stage. To our surprise, she struck up a cover of “I Could Fall in Love” by late Tejano singer Selena. While we didn’t really hang around to check her out, her soulful voice was crowdpleasing and the main stage attracted a sizable gathering for the time.

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We Love Music: The Orwells @ DC9 — 3/3/13

Photo courtesy of The Orwells

Photo courtesy of The Orwells

Chicago quintet The Orwells perform a cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” in concert.

Sadly, they didn’t play it when they rolled through DC Sunday night with a late show at DC9. The fact that the cover is in their repertoire, however, tells you a lot of what you need to know about these up and coming guys. They like to rock and roll.

Mostly everything about The Orwells suggests early garage and punk bands of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Lead singer Mario Cuomo (clearly not the former governor of New York) is a long-haired rocker, literally throwing himself into his songs, shaking his head and body to the beat of the band.

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Hot Ticket: Iceage @ Black Cat, 7/24/12

Photo courtesy of Po'Jay
iceage
courtesy of Po’Jay

Iceage, a punk quartet from Copenhagen, Denmark, have been racing across the country and down the east coast since playing the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago a few weeks ago. The young Scandinavian rockers toured as a supporting act on their first album, New Brigade, last year but now they are back as the main feature this time around, showing up at the Black Cat Tuesday with three opening bands also likely to play short, speedy songs.

The press generally has praised Iceage for keeping the energy and aesthetic of hardcore punk alive. To my ears, however, Iceage has a wider sonic palette that draws more from a more acute post-punk guitar. Their label, What’s Your Rupture? of New York City, specializes in post-punk reissues, singles and now originals. The boys in Iceage aren’t afraid to speed it up and then slow it down a notch after a riveting verse.

They also aren’t afraid to stir up some controversy, as they have done with their use of fascist imagery in a manner similar to Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees did earlier in their careers. Those bands matured and spurned their flirtation with those images. It’ll be telling to see if Iceage grows in the same way.

Tickets to this all-ages show in the backstage room are available online or at the door for $13. Openers include Dirty Beaches, Give, and Satan’s Satyrs. Doors open at 8pm.

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We Love Music: Fucked Up @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 6/27/11

P1020147
All photos by Rachel Rasby

The smell of Cocoa Puffs crushed underfoot. Silhouettes of back-hair illuminated by a spotlight. Clouds of sweat puffing around the stage. Most of my memories of Fucked Up’s performance on Monday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel aren’t particularly pleasant. But who likes their shows ‘pleasant’ anyway? Yeah, it was kind of a sweaty mess at the front of the stage – a crowd five fans deep, jumping relentlessly up and down throughout the set. But Fucked Up supplied an undeniably, infectiously energetic soundtrack for us to go wild to.

Leading by example, Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham rushed on stage and proceeded to rip open a huge bag of store-brand Cocoa Puffs all over the audience. Okay, consider my attention grabbed. Damian was one of those frontmen that’s always doing something to keep your attention, whether he’s spinning his mic around by its cord, leaning into the crowd to yell about the Crusades, or just stomping around on stage. I enjoyed the show from start to finish; I can see why their live shows have gotten them so much buzz. They made the mostly-full Rock and Roll Hotel feel like a summer festival.
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Hot Ticket: Fucked Up @ Rock & Roll Hotel, 6/27/11

IMG_3660
photo by Michael Darpino

First, it’s worth noting that, given their band name, Fucked Up never would have made it 20 years ago. You know, back when you discovered music by listening to corporate radio. I can just imagine all the record execs sitting around, begging Fucked Up to change their name. “Wal-Mart will never carry it!”, they’d say. Nowadays, perhaps due to the internet’s outsized role in music distribution and promotion, it’s barely even remarkable to curse in your band name. Maybe Cee-lo Green cleared the way for profanity-laden band names everywhere? Hell, even artists like Britney Spears and Katy Perry can get away with using single entendres these days without pissing off the censorship crew.

Also without the internet, maybe you wouldn’t know about Fucked Up‘s show on Monday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel. (You’re welcome.) Fucked Up has gotten a lot of buzz, from winning Canadian music awards to scoring a glowing review in Pitchfork for their new album “David Comes to Life”. Said album is a sprawling rock opera, if you will. I’m not really prone to dig into ‘concept albums’, but I’ll tell you this: Fucked Up bring a fistful of punk attitude to what are essentially upbeat rock songs. The massive, noisy guitar melodies are so pleasant that they counterbalance the singer’s growly demeanor, producing something that sounds like the bastard child of The Hold Steady and Black Flag. Mix in a female vocalist, and there’s something for everyone to appreciate.

Garage rockers Jeff the Brotherhood (check this trippy video for a taste) and psychedelic punks Regents open the show. Will people get rowdy and mosh? Or will they sing along with huge grins? Find out Monday.

(Editor’s note: I caught Fucked Up at ATP 2010 and based on what I saw there, I vehemently endorse this show!)

Fucked Up
w/ Jeff the Brotherhood, Regents
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rock and Roll Hotel
$15

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Wire @ Black Cat, 4/7/11

IMG_9707
all photos by author.

Wire played at the Black Cat on Thursday night for an adoring crowd of older fans and hardcore music geeks. They are touring on their excellent new album, “Red Barked Tree”. The new album was featured heavily on Thursday night, but Wire also offered up a sampler of the many phases they have gone through in their 30+ years career. The show was an interesting blend of energy levels and quality as the many sounds of Wire don’t always fit neatly next to one another. This was my first time seeing Wire in concert; while I walked away satisfied by the show, it was not the knock-out performance I was expecting.

If Wire will be remembered for one thing, it will be that they always did things on their own terms. One of the most important bands in the punk to post-punk transition, Wire harnessed the energy of ’77 UK punk to fuel their strange creations. Along with peer-bands like Magazine and Joy Division, they helped herald in a new era of unconventional sounds. Never satisfied being pigeonholed by the critics as “this type of band” or “that type of band”, Wire shifted gears many times over the years. From punk to post-punk to pop to industrial and so on, Wire were and still are always in a state of flux. While this is the thing that makes Wire such a satisfying and exciting band to listen to at home, I’m afraid it held their live show back a little bit on Thursday.

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Hot Ticket: The Pietasters @ 9:30 Club 1/8/11

Wherever you are in the country or the world, if you are having a conversation about Ska music, and Washington DC comes up, it is a sure thing that The Pietasters will be the first band to be mentioned. Cranking out “DC’s finest ska” since the early 1990s, The Pietasters toured hard for years as an opening band for every punk/ska revival act or music legend that would have them (they even backed for James Brown!), all the while perfecting their soulful Ska sound and earning their stripes. These days The Pietasters are one of Ska’s most respected groups and known to the world as the face of DC Ska.

I saw The Pietasters more times than I can count back in the 90’s. I think the last time I saw them was in 2000(?) opening for Joe Strummer in Philadelphia. As always the guys put on a fantastic set of rudie anthems showing the Philly ska/punks how it’s done down in DC. I lost track of The Pietasters after that for several years. So imagine my surprise when the older, wiser, and ruder-than-ever Pietasters showed up at the 9:30 Club 30th Anniversary Concert last year and treated the crowd to a tight-as-hell mini-set! It was great to see the guys again! They worked the room like pros and sounded fantastic! I expect more of the same out of them this Saturday night, when they will be headlining the best reggae/punk/ska party in town!

The Pietasters
w/ HR of Bad Brains, Copstabber, and The Shifters
Saturday, Jan. 8
@ 9:30 Club
$15

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We Love Music: Suicidal Tendencies @ 9:30 Club 11/12/10

IMG_5799
all photos by author.

Thrash veterans Suicidal Tendencies played an early show at 9:30 Club on Friday night to a small but dedicated crowd of punks, skins, skaters, and scene survivors. This So-Cal outfit that carved out the Punk-Metal hybrid sound known as Thrash nearly 30 years ago, has been hyper-active in recent years with several recordings and tours designed to remind the world of the sound that they originated and their place in music history as its trailblazer. Suicidal Tendencies made a strong case with their performance on Friday night that they deserve to be remembered as the godfathers of the skater Thrash sound.

The show was billed as Suicidal Tendencies playing material from their critically-ignored second album “Join The Army” and also from lead-singer Mike Muir’s little-known metal band No Mercy. ST recently released “No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family” on which they re-recorded several tracks by No Mercy and from ST’s “Join The Army”. Was it necessary to re-record this music and tour on it? No, it probably was not. Critically, Suicidal Tendencies’ first and third album are their best and their sophomore release has always been regarded as a misstep. Critical reception is not everything though, especially for hardcore punk bands who often look to the blood and sweat of their fans as the more genuine stamp of approval. Am I glad that ST decided to re-record this material and tour on it? Hell, yes. While not necessarily the defining moment of punk-metal crossover Thrash, this material definitely represents the genre well. The new album of old tunes sounds remarkably fresh in 2010 and the show on Friday night demonstrated just how awesome Thrash can be when played well live.

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Entertainment, Night Life, We Love Music
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Upcoming: Revolution @ FUR 6/17/10

Revolution @ FUR

This Thursday the DC alternative music scene makes its return to a proper dance club with the launch party of “Revolution” at FUR Nightclub. For years industrial, goth, 80’s, and punk music has been surviving (and in some cases thriving) in basements and bars around the DC area. The underground was not always relegated to the shadows in this town however. For the first fifteen years that I lived in the DC area, there was always a large format dance club giving Industrial/Goth/Punk/80’s dance music a home. Cavernous clubs with huge dance floors and sick sound systems lending themselves once-a-week to the alternative crowd for epic dance parties. For many, these clubs were the epicenter of not just music but also of a thriving nightlife community. Hell, I met my wife at one of those clubs and had my wedding reception after-party at another!

It has been too long since a kick-ass, proper dance club has opened its doors on a regular basis to this scene. This Thursday the Industrial/Goth/Punk scene will come roaring out of the underground and take over FUR Nightclub for the first of a bi-weekly, genre, dance-party called “Revolution”. I was invited to be one of the DJs for this awesome event and I happily accepted. After speaking with the event organizers it was obvious to me that we share the same idea about bringing these genres to one of DC’s nicest and most well-equipped dance clubs. The organizers, the other DJs, and I are all dedicated to creating a great dance party that won’t simply evoke the old, scene, dance clubs; we are determined to create a unique event that will hopefully grow to become legendary in its own right. With a great sense of history for the Industrial/Goth/Punk/80’s scene in DC, we all hope to begin a new era of massive dance parties with our party “Revolution” at FUR. Continue reading →

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We Love Music: Buzzcocks @ The Black Cat 5/11/10

Buzzcocks at The Black Cat 5/11/10
courtesy of Buzzcocks.

Woo-hoo!!!*

Buzzcocks launched the U.S. leg of their “Another…Bites Tour” at the Black Cat on Tuesday night with an exuberant set of their classic, reverb-drenched, pop/punk, sing-a-longs. Since their early-90’s revival, original members Shelley and Diggle have been performing non-stop in the US and UK. Right up there with Stiff Little Fingers, Buzzcocks are one of the longest running and quality-consistent graduates of the original UK Punk class. To mix it up on this tour the band are performing their brilliant first and second albums back-to-back (both released in 1978) along with “other hits”. While album-entirety shows are becoming quite trendy of late (not that I mind), for Buzzcocks I think this dual-album attack is a great move. As their legacy becomes tied more and more to their ability to write amazing singles (as collected on the essential “Singles Going Steady“) this dual album tour is here to remind us that Buzzcocks were also responsible for crafting some brilliant albums; each with an energy flow, sonic imprint, and lyrical themes that deserve their place in rock history as well. Actually Tuesday night’s show did much more than gently remind us of this fact; in typical Buzzcocks pop-roar fashion the show served as a blaring klaxon alarm that made the relevance of “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” and “Love Bites” impossible to ignore.

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