Insted – Betrayed – Retaliate – Downpresser – at Megasound Studios – Ventua, CA

Ever since hearing that Insted were playing reunion shows again I was on board. From the get go my old college roommate, the Pos, and I planned on going together since we had seen Insted in Rhode Island on their 2004 reunion tour and were blown away. I met up with the Pos in the morning to get brunch at Eat Well in Glendale, California before we picked up our friend, Old School Tim, who at the ripe age of forty six was attending his first straight edge hardcore show.



When we got to the venue we were a half hour early and there were a few other people hanging out outside, but it was looking pretty dead. Pos and Tim played some game which involved throwing pebbles on the curb of a sidewalk. After the doors opened we went in and scoped out the scene. Megasound is primarily a recording studio rather than a concert venue and the room where the bands were playing were tiny. To say this show was going to be intimate was an understatement.

We caught bits and pieces of Downpresser and Retaliate's sets and they seemed to be putting a lot of heart into what they were doing. It had been a few years since I had seen Betrayed and they were sounding great. Their sound is similar to Dag Nasty, Verbal Assault or Bold's later, more melodic material. Vocalist, Aram Arslanian had a lot to say about living a positive lifestyle and committing to beliefs. At a few points during the set the stage banter may have gone a little into overkill but he seemed very sincere and most of what he had to say was meaningful. His voice sounded great and he kept things lively by jumping around and running in place. By the time their set was done I was left wondering why I hadn't appreciated Betrayed more when I had seen them in the past.

When Insted took stage Kevin made a comment about how some of the most memorable shows the band ever played were smaller shows and how he was hoping that this show would be memorable too. They opened with "Tell Me" and immediately I felt like a little kid at an amusement park. While there weren't a whole lot of people at the show everyone looked completely stoked and people were defying gravity, jumping across the dance floor. The band returned the same enthusiasm, performing like they were still teenagers.

"Feel Their Pain," a song about vegetarianism was the next big highlight of Insted's set and tons of kids of all ages were singing along to the chorus. "Live and Let Live" also sounded awesome with its signature Orange County Hardcore intro and more epic singalongs ensued. The band played more memorable songs like "Unite," "Get The Most," "Proud Youth," and "Good Things." I was having so much fun that I had to keep reminding myself to take a few pictures (note the lack of action shots as I was too busy participating). "We'll Make The Difference" is the quintessential West Coast hardcore unity anthem with its rumbling drums provided by the mighty Steve Insted (see Carry Nation for more of his skills) and refraining chant of "You and me- We'll make the difference!" The audience ate this song up and it was followed with the band's cover of 7 Seconds' "Young Til I Die." Just before the last refrain of the song Kev gave me the microphone and told me to finish off the song. I was more than happy to do the job.

Insted had successfully lived up to their legacy and somehow seeing them this time around topped the first time I had seen them in 2004. Even Old School Tim was impressed and talked about how much fun he had at his first straight edge show. I left looking forward to their upcoming performance at Lisk Fest and hoping that maybe eventually they'll decide to play even more shows.
 

 

-Ditch-
Big Wheel Asst. Editor

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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