(photo cred - Throwaways myspace, as I didn't have a camera or my phone handy)Its always a bummer when a really, REALLY good show is held on an odd day... like a thursday night. Its great for guys like me with seesaw schedules, who don't really care for the whole "responsible living" idea or any of that jazz. I'll gladly stay out till 2 in the morning, drink, carouse, and get rowdy at a show... then wake up the next day for work. But that may be my ever prevalent youth talking. Point is, no matter how awesome the bands are, those off days just lend themselves to a weird vibe amongst the crowd.
I kinda feared this walking into Tubby Dog, more then a few drinks strong. (note; for those of you who haven't experienced it yet, Tubby Dog is a great and intimate venue. Free, all ages, communal vibe, and red couch to jump off of!) For instance, none of the bands showed up till about an hour later then the show was supposed to start. The place was relatively empty for awhile as well, until a few of the usual suspects showed. So I had my reservations.
The Wastoids set things off on a good note though. Musically, the band is a Calgary institution; I've been seeing them live for about 4 years and nothing has really drastically changed. But goddamn if it isn't a well oiled, tight, energetic institution. Fast punk rhythms, anchored by insane bass work and a whole lot of punk shouts and yells, The Wastoids do it fast and loud. I was really stoked in fact, because the last time I saw them they were short a guitarist and quite sloppy. Not so tonight, as they blared through a 20ish minute set with precision and fun. Thats the key really; The Wastoids are fun, happy-go-lucky bullshit.
As I hinted at before, however, the crowd was unnervingly polite.
The Downers were next and I was really excited! I had heard good things of them through some friends and better yet, I heard rumors of them doing a front-to-back cover of "Dude Ranch" by Blink 182 at the Halloween show I am so anticipating; groovy!
They sure delivered, though it wasn't at all what I expected. I was expecting something akin to The Wastoids, and what I got was spastic nuggets of pop punk craziness with howled vocals and knee jerk guitar work. The girl on drums was awesome, playing that really jangly jungle style drumming rather then straight up punk drumming while simultaneously throwing a feminine howl into the mix of guy shouts. It was sorta like this time I put Dr. Pepper into my Froot Loops; sugary, violent, with a sweet/sour aftertaste. Awesome!
Now here's the odd thing; despite them being the headliners it felt like alot of people left before The Throwaways got there time onstage. Shame to! I have a feeling a little more rabble would have been roused had more folks stayed around.
Now I use the term "pop punk" quite carefully. After all, it can mean ultra produced, warped tour style break down music (which has its place, don't get me wrong) or it can be boiled down to its literal meaning; a punk band with poppy, catchy hooks. Iggy Pop meets Beach Boys. Garage-y and scummy, but still sweet enough to hum. The Ramones were arguably the first pop punk band ever. Keep this in mind, as this is the definition I have in mind.
Fronted by two female vocalists and guitarists, The Throwaways are a glue sniffin', hip shaking, freak-out-your-mom, poppy-like-a-dr.pepper fuzzy punk band. Loud, fast, sugar fueled, sweet like pixie stix, sharp like a buzz saw.... its fucking perfect is what it is! Check out there recent split with Spastic Panthers. The music and lyrics is so fast that if you blink for a moment, you might miss it... but its so mesmerizing, so eye catching, so CATCHY, you wont blink. At all. Like Mika Miko on speed, like the Descendants with a shot of estrogen, its impossible to just stand there and listen to it. You just gotta give in and trust me, given a bit more time, everyone would have lost there shit. And you could feel the tension building to, as the adorable singer screamed bloody murder into your face.
And yet... it just had to end. And it was 11, on a work/school night. And all the responsible kids, they had to leave. Including myself, as my ride was leaving right away. Bummer to, as there was one last band scheduled, the Grown Ups, who are absolutely phenomenal.
Its a bit disappointing when you go to a show like this and end up standing still or sitting the whole time, but it happens. Its no-ones fault, its just life. Here's for high hopes over the weekend! In the mean time, I'm just gonna listen to sugar induced, female fronted pop punk all day.
