7 Seconds – Rotting Out – and Magazine Dirty – at SLO Brew – San Luis Obispo, CA

SLO Brew hosted 7 Seconds, the immortal Hardcore Punk band, on September 21, 2014. The night was extraordinary to say the least, but before 7 Seconds played, the San Luis crowd had a few kick ass opening acts that set the stage for this epic night.

First to go on was Magazine Dirty, a local, traditional style Punk band that frequents the Punk shows in town opening up for various acts and showing their amazing talent and interesting style to all that come to witness. Fresh of the release of their new album, Action Reaction, the band seemed to be in very high spirits and awakened what seemed to be a sleeping audience. They are fronted by both a male and female singers and create great harmonies using this aesthetic. Magazine Dirty put on a great show while their lead singer danced around stage and even picked up a guitar at one point to give the spotlight over to the female vocalist in the band exclaiming, “I’m gonna pretend to play guitar now!” This high energy Punk band had me grinning ear to ear, but I was definitely ready for more.

   
Rotting Out was up next and I was a bit hesitant to hear them due to the fact that I’m not a huge fan of new school Hardcore bands. This worry was put to rest as soon as their burly lead singer walked on stage in tiny gym shorts and an angry look on his face. There was no question, these guys came here to show SLO what hardcore really is. Their sound was reminiscent of Gorilla Biscuits with their hard hitting style and well integrated breakdowns. Rotting Out was wonderfully synchronized coming in and out of these breakdowns to create a fast, unique, and all out brutal sound. Just what the punk rockers in the crowd were looking for, and a very pleasant surprise. The crowd fed off the lead singers every word as he slowly built up to almost every song with a powerful message, and as soon as the band started playing the venue fell into a beautiful chaos. After their performance I can absolutely say that I’m a fan, and hope to see them in SLO again very soon.

   
As 7 Seconds made their way onstage everyone in the room couldn’t contain their screams for the band. Kevin Seconds was ready for this, walking on stage in a Wu-Tang Clan shirt and baseball cap, he got right into some of their newest music from their latest album (Leave A Light On) like “I Have Faith In You”. 7 Seconds played 20+ songs during their set as well as sending a positive message out to the crowd in between songs and promoting their new album.

Their classic hardcore hits were performed with an amazing amount of energy for having been played for over 30 years, and I was happy they played one of my personal favorites, “The Crew”. As the band played these classic crowd pleasing tracks, the audience engulfed the stage. 7 Seconds was constantly encouraging their fans to “Keep singing and keep pitting” in between their songs and then Kevin got the crowd warmed up for their next song by saying he was a “53 year old kid”. When the band started singing “Young Till I Die”, everyone in the audience joined in singing with them. There was an older lady in the corner of the room with what looked like tears of joy in her eyes shouting “I’m gonna stay young until I die!!!!!!”, proving once and for all you are only as old as you feel. It was a beautiful sight to say the least.

These hardcore legends finished their set with their ever popular version of “99 Red Balloons” which is a great note to end on. I was thoroughly impressed with 7 Seconds performance and unwavering energy, as I’m sure the rest of San Luis Obispo was as well. Punk’s not dead, in fact it’s not even old, and this exciting and unforgettable night has proven that. Let’s hope San Luis Obispo hasn’t seen the last of 7 Seconds, we expect another show as soon as possible and we’d like to thank the band for such and awesome night!

 

-T. Wallace-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

 

 

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