|
|
ONE FALL, MIDNIGHT CREEPS, GLiDER, DEAD BOYSAlchemy, Providence, RI, September 28, 2003
You want real, real punk rock? I mean the genuine slamming, spitting, frenzied article as opposed to another pale facsimile of its gloriously depraved late ‘70s-early ‘80s past? Welp, I found it one night going to the Alchemy in Providence, RI where I was scheduled to play keys/synth with GLiDER along with three other acts, one an actual late ‘70s legendary punk band with one original member still intact!!
Openers One Fall, a quartet hailing from Salem, MA, ably set the torrid tenor with their intensely high energy show, with singer/rhythm guitarist Helen McWilliams, lead guitarist Phill Hunt, bassist Joe MacFadzen and drummer Caleb Wheeler providing equal parts thrash and melody. They released a three song EP last year, which is well worth a listen!
The punk factor really went off the charts with the next band The Midnight Creeps. They are a Providence band and, boy, did they not only show a jaded Bostonian rocker that the Rhode Island rock scene is a force to be reckoned with but that this band can dish out the dirt convincingly!! They’ve been kicking against the pricks for over 20 years but this was my introduction to their debauched boot in my arse! Vocalist Jennie Hurricane was every inch the bad-ass punk chick groveling, mic stand humping, performing guitar fellatio, simulating noose hanging and, most importantly, more than backing these antics up with her crazed Iggy-meets-Wendy O. Williams vocals and songs like “I Can’t Get it Right,” “Toiletbowl Suicide” and “Menstrual Institution” teeming with frustration and perversion!! Their slash-and-burn approach had the good fortune of having guitarist Jamie Wolloff, bassist Jonas Parmelee and drummer Jeff Creep powering this Creep show! Definitely a band worth seeing.
GLiDER had a tough act to follow and, with yours truly as a member on synth keys, a tough act to be objectively reviewing! Anyway, this Boston band evolved from ‘80s garage-punk rockers Jetset with vocalist/drummer (and show promoter) Cal Cali and guitarist Al Jones now joined with keyboardist/backing vocalist Captain Easychord and bassist Freddie Winthrop. Performing 35 year old Jetset originals like “Twentieth Century,” “Anna Rexya,” “MTV” and “The Nuke is On” along with a cover of Peter Dayton’s “Stuck On the Same Refrain” (which literally happened brainfarting at the end of the song!), GLiDER managed to hold their own and inject some textures that set them apart from the more hardcore acts.
Headliners Dead Boys needs no introduction, but I’ll give one anyway! As one of the flagship punk bands, they helped bring the rage to greater attention with their seminal 1977 debut Young, Loud and Snotty. 46 years later, the on-again, off-again reunion of Dead Boys is still terrorizing whatever venue they want to play and this evening’s gig was fortunately no exception. Only lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome is the only original bandmember in this version, and he was under the weather with the flu which forced the cancellation of their last two shows (one which was from Boston). Still, he managed to play at full thrust for most of their set, with vocalist Jake Hout doing his very best Stiv Bators impersonation, right down to his hair, clothing and in-your-face performance! The crowd went completely crazy with some serious slam dancing , leading to security resolving an issue with a particularly overzealous slammer! Their boisterous set ended somewhat prematurely with Cheetah’s illness rendering him unable to finish. Nobody complained, though - this was certainly one for the books!
|
links | contact us