The best laid plans and all that. When I get to the PNA tonight at 9pm to see out-of-towners Hunters, the first noticeable thing is that they aren’t in fact a two-piece, as I wrote in the blurb guide in the paper. Doh! To be fair, their press pics are deceiving and so many bands are using loops nowadays, but still. Doh! Hunters are great fun though. Primitive yet catchy.
In the bigger room, Golden Torso get their bellies out and scream their sweaty asses off. Their brand of hardcore punk is relentless and brutal, and Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee looks impressed.
Desolation Angels might not have had the biggest crowd at Bakers, but they didn’t seem to care. These guys play a mildly rockabilly version of alt-country, and they sound like real rebels in the process.
The rap showcase at the New Dodge saw that venue packed early on, and the geek-hop of Dos the Artist had the place swinging. With a Star Trek banner draped over the boards and samples of the Peanuts theme in the set, plus tight rhymes and smart lyrics, Dos the Artist might not touch on typical hip-hop themes but he’s unique and talented, and worth checking out again.
All the Wild Children frontman Paul Clos is another one not adverse to getting his stomach out and giving it a good rub, as if a genie’s gonna pop out. What’s with all the bellies tonight? He and his better half Liz, both formerly of Sharky and the Habit, have assembled a killer band here, and Clos remains a fascinating frontman – part Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, part hobo.
The Whiskey Charmers lay out some chilled, poetic alt country that provides warmth and perhaps a little respite from the insanity, and then it’s over to Paychecks for Ronny Tibbs & the 305’s. The former Satin Peaches man is surrounded by lasers, a contrast to his sparse yet thrilling rock.
For me, highlight of the night is the Pretty Ghouls, who are simply stunning tonight. The band’s trashy punk is totally exciting – kinda like being transplanted to the prime days of the Cramps and any numbers of CBGB’s regulars. Asia Mock is an incredible frontgal, with her gnarly pipes and writhing.
The Disinformants finish off the night for me. Another first - I haven’t seen this band or anything else Anthony Gentile has done since the break-up of Jehovah’s Witness Protection Program – these guys are equally as riotous as JWPP but perhaps a little more structured. They’re certainly loud as all fuck, plus their set list is written on a page torn out of a porn mag. That’s class.
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