The Psychedelic Furs at Music Box – Hollywood, CA

The most extensive coverage you will find - Saturday night’s concert at the Music Box in Hollywood got off to an early start as The Psychedelic Furs took the stage quite sooner than expected for a headlining band of their prestige. By 7:30 pm Richard Butler and company had hit the lights in front of a packed house resembling what one could expect a 1980’s high school reunion to be like. It was a gas as The Furs broke into Dumb Waiters, the opening track from their 1981 LP Talk Talk Talk which immediately set the pace for the rest of the night. Following such an entrance was the number Pretty in Pink which rocked the crowd and brought upon a super chorus sing along like only a hit of that nature can.

The remainder of their fixed Talk set went off like one would have hoped for, very spot on! Talk in its entirety flowed extremely well, never hitting a dead spot or moment of dullness; it was the right album in The Furs catalog to play from start to finish. The appropriate She is Mine closed out their first set, marking the end of Talk and evoking a roaring applause from the sold out Saturday night crowd.

After a 15 minute breather, the Furs returned to the stage to kick off their hits set with the ever moody Sister Europe. The very minimal setup worked hand in hand with their lighting rig which brought upon a sense of atmosphere that fit like a glove. Richard Butler looked and sounded great all night, but it was during the cult classic Love My Way where he really began to work the stage often taking on another persona, much like the way David Bowie did with his famed character Ziggy Stardust.

The nights biggest amazement happened to be the driving force that is Mars Williams, the Furs very own sax man (see part 2 of the video for proof). His stage presence was the ultimate boost in performance and a bit more in your face than the somewhat absent keyboard leads. His saxophone solos drove the crowd absolutely wild and were awe inspiring, never had a saxist gotten the love that is usually only showered upon lead guitarists or vocalists. The second set saw more crowd pleasing numbers like the angsty President Gas, the tear jerkish Heaven, the celebratory Heartbeat (super saxy goodness right there!) and set closer Heartbreak Beat.


    Part 1 of the video overview


    BONUS: Part 2 of the video overview


The Furs then performed an emotionally moving encore that had the floor moving like a John Hughes 80’s high school dance party.

The tasteful Forever Now, and set closer India were the perfect way to end the epic set that only the Furs could deliver in such nostalgic yet fresh fashion. As the lights turned on and masses of fans made their way toward the exits I thought to myself “Why isn’t this band headlining the Hollywood Palladium or Bowl?!, they’ve got enough hits to fill such venues!”

The Furs are in top shape and were the band to see that night, and as always are a supreme live act that’s got the hits and charisma to keep fans coming out to their shows year after year. The Music Box had the right celebratory feel, and everyone could agree that there could not be a better host of such a party like the one and only Psychedelic Furs. If you’re in need of a Furs fix, check out their website for upcoming tour dates, you may still have a chance to catch them on their amazing 30 years of Talk Talk Talk tour 2011!

Set list:
Dumb Waiters - Pretty In Pink - I Wanna Sleep With You - No Tears - Mr. Jones - Into You Like A Train - It Goes On - So Run Down - All Of This And Nothing - She Is Mine
Second Set: Sister Europe - Love My Way - Heartbeat - President Gas - Highwire Days - Heaven - Heartbreak Beat
Encore: Forever Now - My Time - India

 

 

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Music Staff Reporter

                   More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

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Steve Ignorant’s CRASS: The Last Supper – at The FOX Theater – Pomona, CA

After dealing with visa issues and the postponement of The Last Supper's previously scheduled March show, Steve Ignorant made a triumphant appearance in Pomona on Friday to present to fans Crass's "Feeding of the 5000" in full form. The Last Supper tour will be the last and final time that Steve Ignorant performs Crass material permanently, and as a result of this, Friday's show was completelysold out.


Although some fans and concert-goers made the mistake of calling the event "Crass's show," Steve Ignorant was the only original member of the band set to perform Crass songs that night. His line-up however consisted of some well-known contenders such as The English Dogs' Gizz Butt and The Damned's Spike T. Smith, making the presentation of Crass's songs credible and reliable.

Inside the Fox Theater, the venue was ample with fans and humidity was thick on certain levels; it was profoundly thicker in the pit area. Once Steve Ignorant and his crew hit the stage, the presentation of Crass songs began, equipped with a slideshow illustrating Crass "artwork". Steve Ignorant opened up with "Punk Is Dead" and the mania inside the venue was enough to cause the building's dilapidation. Steve Ignorant went on to play crowd favorites such as "Do They Owe Us a Living?" "Poison in a Pretty Pill," "Darling," "Big A, Little A," "Banned From the Roxy," "So What" and many others not stemming from "Feeding of the 5000." Every once in a while, vocalist Carol, who filled in for Eve Libertine's parts, went up to the microphone and fulfilled Libertine's vocals for certain Crass songs.

The entirety of Steve Ignorant's hour and a half long set dutifully consisted of Crass songs between 1977-1984, and all the while punks on the floor of the venue thrived off the music by participating in pit action that consisted of a circle pit almost as big as the venue's entire floor. Steve Ignorant soon ended the show, and once it was over, fans remained on the floor until security came to kick everyone out.

Southern California is blessed to be the holder and host of epic Punk shows. Music reporters frequently tell readers that if they missed a certain show, they completely made an error and mistake. It is a redundant thing to tell readers; Steve Ignorant's show however, is a genuine gem that unfortunately, if missed, will never be seen again because of Steve Ignorant's promise that Crass shows on his behalf, will never occur again. With the dismissal of Crass, their song "Punk is Dead" has never rang more true before.





More photos of the night  - courtesy of our ticket winner Richardo and our Bigwheel Staff Photographer can be seen HERE

 

 

-Stephanie M.
Big Wheel Senior Staff Reporter

 

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The Voids – Narcoleptic Youth – at Slidebar – Fullerton, CA

Punks enrolled in school looked forward to a good treat Thursday night as Fullerton's Slidebar hosted The Voids and Narcoleptic Youth on the same night as their weekly "College Night," which offers 50% off food and drinks with college ID. Slidebar was ample with college students taking advantage of the affair as they indulged in food and drinks prior to the big bands set to play inside the venue area.

The Voids began their set after 10:30 p.m. and immediately dove into their fast paced anthems. Vocalist Adri Void performed with high voltage as she shook to the beat of the music and sang with utmost vivacity. The band's stage presence provided an overall quality that enabled the audience to be fully enthralled by the band's set. The Voids played crowd favorites such as "Take Back Your Life," "Disconnected," "Germ Warfare," and "Bad Dreams" among many others. After 45 minutes of nonstop vigor, The Voids ended their set by playing "LAPD," ultimately dismissing their performance for the night.

Narcoleptic Youth set up their equipment shortly after The Voids' performance, and commenced their set close to 11:30 p.m. The band witnessed a fuller venue full of people ready to start pitting. Narcoleptic Youth performed a longer set than The Voids, and played songs such as "Is This Punk?" "Raw Nerve," "Minivan Soccer Mom," "Bitch Needs a Muzzle," "Busted Condom," and "Barbie in Bondage." Song after song enabled fans to crowd around vocalist Joey Bondage as he kindly and frequently allowed them to sing into the microphone throughout the band's songs. The floor also witnessed its fair share of action as circe pits and pogo pits prevailed during the band's set. Close to 12:30 a.m., Narcoleptic Youth ended their set, consequently ending their night at Slidebar.

Although Slidebar's Punk affair ended with a DJ bumping dubstep back outside by the bar, Thursday night was a starving student's dream come true as food and drinks were heavily discounted and accompanied by a portion of street punk's finest, The Voids and Narcoleptic Youth. Slidebar frequently hosts free Punk shows,and last night's free show was able to excel in the same fashion as previous shows. After last night, Punks enrolled in school are eager and hoping for another free Punk show to land on the same night as "College Night" in the near future. The VERY near future.


 

 

 -Stephanie M.
Big Wheel Senior staff reporter

                   More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

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Searching For Calm – Celestial Greetings

I’m not entirely sure where one would or could categorize such a band as Searching for Calm. There are moments where they come off a bit much like TOOL meets an emotional Roger Miret of Agnostic front, and that in itself is a concept that is hard to wrap my head around.

The prog rock element is apparent, and its characteristics run rampant throughout the albums 11 tracks. Celestial Greetings is perhaps like a musical journey through outer space and different musical dimensions fueled by caffeine and cigarettes. Certainly not a punk rock album by any stretch of the imagination, it still offers an interesting look at what music has become popular in the alternative scene since the Mars Volta, Coheed/Cambria and other experimental bands have become influential. The albums most enjoyable track for me just happened to be their ultra European version of the Talking Heads classic “Once in a Lifetime”, it’s not a desert island record, but it sure is better and has more flavor than anything that could be tagged emo/screamo or death core.

 

-Louie B.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

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The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns – Dark Days Dark Nights

Wow! Could there be a more perverse psycho Billy band to hail from Pennsylvania? Probably not! Thankfully where most psycho Billy bands end up sounding stale and all too alike, The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns venture off in their own unique Americana filled direction on “Dark Days, Dark Nights“.

Certainly not in the same vein as the Tiger Boys, the Reach Arounds are paying homage musically to Elvis, channeling the guitar riffage of Roy Orbison and borrowing some Dave Vanian ala Phantom Chords atmosphere for some good ol dirty Psychobilly by way of country, 60’s surf rock, punk and hillbilly b movie trash. 

The 19 songs available for eargasmic pleasure are all worthy of the finest praise, and that is what I’m giving this record, my seal of approval. If you enjoy songs about Jesus, Satan, drugs, pawn shops and Cadillac’s then this will be your favorite album of the year.

 

-Louie B.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

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The Bell – Great Heat

"Great Heat" comes all the way from Stockholm, Sweden, and is the sophomore release for post-punk/melodic pop group The Bell. Although it may not be something that would be present on a "Punk" playlist, or may not be something that I would regularly listen to, the album maintains a developed and electronic sound that easily gets stuck in your head.

While listening to the album, I felt it had the style of new wave and indie pop greats such as Depeche Mode, the Cure, and Magnetic Fields; the riffs, strings, and cold vocals are all available on "Great Heat" especially in songs "Today", "Holiday", and "Throw Me a Bone". For the most avid indie rock and synth-pop lovers, "Great Heat" is a true gem.

 

-Sarah K.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

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