Converge / Slapshot / Drop Dead / Wrecking Crew / Doomriders / Alpha and Omega / The New Lows / Revilers / Insult / Sexcrement
Benefit for the victims of the Marathon bombings
South Shore Music Hall, Quincy, MA 5/6/13
So this was a benefit for the victims of the Marathon bombings and there have been at least two others I’m aware of from the punk/metal community- one in Somerville, MA and one in Rhode Island. I knew that I wanted to attend at least one and I knew that this was going to be a big show encompassing all the styles of music we cover; punk, hardcore and metal.
I was there early but the doors didn’t open when they were supposed to so I went up the street to a bar for a drink and when I came back there was a line of a couple hundred people. This caused me to miss the first band, my favorite metal band Sexcrement. I’ve only seen them twice before but they are a great live band bringing fun and wildness back to metal what with their strippers and general craziness- I highly recommend them.
I finally get in and with four or five hundred people there I figured I’d know a few. I see Joe, singer for The Enemy Within, Swid the bassist for Razors In The Night, Tim and Alicia of T’N’A promotions, super fan and artist Jess Punk, artist Amy Toxic, Niff from Artic Horror, Shelly model/hairdresser and Duncan from Bring The Knife, recognizable once again with his beard.
Insult is the first band I see and I realize I’ve seen them once before. They’re an old school hardcore local band from the eighties. Short and fast songs with high gargled vocals they get the energy flowing and are a good start to the night.
Revilers take the stage and do what they do best which is namely, play some kick ass punk’n’roll. No hardcore tempos for this Cape Cod crew but a lot of high energy rockin’ ones with slashing guitars and rough’n’tough vocals. They kick it up a notch for the last tune and turn in another great set.
The New Lows are next. They’re a young metal band with slower tempos and a more traditional style that I can relate to. At the end of the set the singer has a curious story to tell about how he had a shot of Goldschlager before the set, tried to pee but couldn’t and worried about pissing his pants during the set because that would be silly- they put on a good show.
Alpha And Omega plays next and is a traveling hardcore/metal band from L.A. They’re a young band and their music seems to fall more on the side of metal but are enjoyable to me, anyways. They were filling in for For The Worse who had to drop off which was a disappointment to me but the crowd seems to like these guys as well.
Doomriders take the stage and are a metal band with growly almost death like vocals. Though metal in style their beat is more rock’n’roll and at their best they remind me a bit of Motorhead. Any metal band that I can comprehend is good to me and I enjoyed their set. I think I’ll call them metal’n’roll.
Wrecking Crew is next and is a legendary Boston hardcore band that I had never seen so I was looking forward to checking them out. They did not disappoint bringing the old school energy and anger to the set. I think this was one of the best received sets of the night.
Drop Dead is next, I saw them once before at The Firehouse and didn’t really understand them. The singer in a low, melodious voice says these insightful, poetic words in-between songs but once the song kicks in he switches to a high pitched screeched vocals. The music is a relentless, extreme hardcore blast. But tonight I get where they’re coming from and it’s one of my favorite sets on the night. Duncan, more knowledgeable than I, describes them as grindcore.
Slapshot is next and listening to them you can hear where a lot of the current hardcore came from. They have an excellent drummer, great frontman and along with The F.U’s is probably the best representation we have of the original Boston hardcore still playing. To know surprise for me and probably many here they play the best set of the night.
Converge is the last band of the night and I know they’re very popular but they play in the style of metalcore which is not really my thing. It’s been a long night with lots of beer and bands so I get ready to leave.
I look inside my wallet and much to my chagrin I only have five ones. I noticed the parking lot said seven dollars over five hours so I’m short! I ask my buddy Swid for a loan of five and he hands me a twenty. What a great guy! Of course, he did ask me to put it in writing…. well, here you go.
But seriously, I can rattle off the bands, what style they play, how good they were. But you know what’s important? You. Ha, ha- I’d guess you’d agree, but if you’re reading this you are part of the punk/metal community and this night was for the charity and like the raffle reader announced towards the end, “We raised a shitload of money tonight.”
And you know what you have? You have a community with a shitload of humanity, you have a community with a shitload of compassion, you have a community with a lot of goodness and love and not in some half assed hippie dream but what forms the essence of a community that is aware and acts. It’s in your hearts, it’s in your souls and it was in the room tonight and extends beyond to all of the benefits our community has sponsored and will.
Even if you are not in Boston, you are of our community. Be Boston, be strong, be one.
(Slimedog)
