REFUSE RESIST / DOWNLOW / MILO’S SYNDICATE / REVILERS / ARMED RESPONSE
Church of Boston
Friday March 25th, 2011
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good old fashion hardcore punk show and wasn’t expecting much when I checked out the Phoenix music listings earlier in the week. There were 2 hard rock shows I coud find, one at the Paradise and one at the Church. Since I didn’t know any of the bands at the Church, I decided to go there and be a bit adventurous. Boy was I pleasantly surprised (many times over).
When I got there at 9, the first band, Armed Response, was already playing, which I found a bit strange since I only saw 3 bands listed for the night. Come to find out there were actually 5 bands playing (surpirse no. 1). So I paid my 10 bucks and made my way over to the left side of the bar where I was warmly greeted by Kat, one of the Church’s fine bartenders. I sat down, got a beer and started to absorb the sights and sounds.
Armed Response, hailing from NH, was already rockin with a whole lot of good energy. They had a street rockin sound reminiscent of the Street Dogs, but not as Irishy. Their songs were great for drinkin to and since I needed to loosen up anyway thats just what I did. Little did I know that Armed Response was just the beginning of what would be an incredible night of hardcore rock music.
Next up were the Revilers (from the Cape), who I liked right out of the box. Sometimes you hear a band that immediately does it all just the way you like. Which is how I clicked with the Revilers. They reminded me of the Dictators on speed with a straight ahead buzz saw-like guitar action. Awesome. You can check their cool sounds out for yourself right here on their profile page at Thrash N’ Bang. When The Revilers were done, it was, 2 bands down, and I didn’t think things could get much better … well wrong again bang brothers and sisters. I must take a minute to give kudos to the Church…. I love who you guys are booking lately.
The 3rd band was Milo’s Syndicate, who quickly became my favorite band of the night. Milo’s Syndicate is a Boston band with a straight ahead thrash-punk vibe. Their music was great, but what I really enjoyed was the sense of humor and personality they injected into their sound. They stepped on the gas pedal right from the get go and never let off until they were done. The only thought that came to mind was , “…fuckin yah, step on it…”. Towards the end of Milo’s set, Kat and I threw back a couple of shots and things were syncing up quite nicely. To top it off, Kat decided to play one of my all time favorite albums, Ace of Spades, in between sets (surprise no. 3).
The 4th band was a guest appearance out of NYC by a band called Down Low. And, just like the previous bands, they did themselves proud. Down Low is a straight ahead hardcore punk band that was reminiscent of Black Flag. Their look and sound reminded me of the great early hardcore punk bands from the eighties (surprise no. 4). They were simply amazing and reminded me how much I missed the great punk bands I grew up listening to (Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, Angry Samoans, etc.).
And last but not least, the final band of the night, Refuse Resist from Boston, built upon the same vibe started by Down Low with their own rendition of the great hardcore punk sounds of old, capping off a truely fantastic night of hardcore music (surprise no. …). An entertaining night by all accounts.
And so, as I said earlier, when the night started out I wasn’t expecting much, but when it was all over I was so glad I made the trek out to the Church. All 5 bands were awesome and definitely worth the trip. I know I’ll be checking them out again.
Later,
(Andy Bang)
