Shattered Faith – The Pegs – Killing California – DMF at the Gypsy Lounge, Lake Forest, CA

The trek down to Lake Forest was surprisingly stress free with not much traffic. Having never been to the Gypsy Lounge before it was nice to find out that the venue was pretty close to the freeway as Lake Forest can otherwise be a somewhat annoying town to drive in with its long stretches of nothingness. The Gypsy Lounge is a little more upscale than what I'm used to, with dim lighting, a backstage area for bands, professional P.A. equipment, multiple couches, and paintings of naked women everywhere.

There weren't a lot of people at the bar when D.M.F. went on but they came out on stage and the singer/guitarist introduced the band with a considerable amount of vigor, yelling out, "We're D.M.F.- Dirty Motherfuckers." By the time the band started playing a song about "fucking on a truck" a few things were clear; the first being that they were appropriately named and the second being that they are definitely a product of Orange County culture. The music was pretty heavy, at times even flirting a bit with metal and the back up vocals were solid. However needless to say the lyrics left some things to be desired, particularly in their song addressing "emo fags." Oh well.

Killing California came out on stage without much fanfare, but as soon as they started playing the intensity was turned up to ten. Their sound is a mix of classic rockers like Motorhead with modern bands like Zeke and the Bronx. The band's dynamic was perfect with everyone showing their talents but never overindulging. There was never a lull in the set and not much talking in between songs. Although they played a decent amount of songs, Killing California's set went by fast.

 

By the time the Pegs went on the bar had gotten somewhat more crowded, which was good news, as simply put the Pegs rocked. They maintain a classic Beach punk sound, borrowing from bands like The Crowd and early TSOL to create some snappy songs. The highlight was their signature song, "Day Glo a No Go," which pokes fun at the early Huntington Beach punk image. The Pegs definitely put on a solid performance and it would be great to see them play some all ages shows in Southern California.

Shattered Faith played with two out of three of their guitarists, including vocalist,  Spencer Barsch's son, Branden. The band played the songs a little slower than usual, but it was great to hear songs like "We Love America," "Right Is Right," "Another Day Passes," "Final Conflict" and "The Verdict." Spencer's stage presence was still commanding as usual and his vocals were consistently on the mark. Shattered Faith's song writing is unique and their music has always combined the melodies of English bands with the edge of American hardcore. They completed their set with a cover of the Vibrators' "Baby, Baby Baby," and then played a two song encore without ever really getting off stage.

 

More photos from this show can be seen HERE

-Ditch-
Assistant Editor

 

 
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