This is, if you didn’t know, a personal blog, first and foremost. This began as an exercise in passion. Just to see if I could do it, really. I can do it. I just lost focus for a minute. I let outside influences or competitions or 10 pounds blow me out of the water and I’m useless. Then I hear the right song or I see the right people or I spend the right amount of time alone and resting and I’m fine. So that’s what I did; I’m fine. I was sad for a minute, now I’m fine. I’m slowly emerging from my cave of sorrows and seeing some damned shows.
Another one of those shows I knew would be an utter shitshow throwdown in which i trucked up into alone, assuming I'd know everyone there - wrong. I knew a good handful of people on sight (the usual Kings Cast of Characters) but not a lot of "good friends"; and then those always ever present two or so ex-dudes or hookups that make me want to smash my face into the wall because i can't facepalm hard enough. then that handful of guys that hover around and stare at me, but never speak, like i am so gorgeous and intimidating. whatever. I updated my facebook status as something like "Total pickleparty up in Kings right now. dudes like to rage, hey." ...people liked it; dudes liked it. It was true. I was in the extreme vaginic minority at this show.
I eventually ran into my friend Christopher, with whom I shared the majority of my commentary with, he had some good lines which i will probably paraphrase. aka steal.
First up was JEFF the brotherhood. not really sure what to describe these guys as; as soon as I thought i had it pegged like a minimal punk outfit, they busted into this random-ass new wave-ish sounding song, which made me instantly become brainwashed into believing I liked them a whole lot. But then it was back to their original sound. They ended (ish) their set with a song that had lyrics to the effect of "my mom told me i could grow up to be anything i wanted, so i grew up to be A WOMAAAAAAAAAAN" (something like that.) and I had a very confused puppy look/head tilt for a minute there. Chris was back behind me so i couldn't necessarily confer with him what I had heard. I can barely hear anyway, so I just took it as it was. This guy might be trans, which of all people, you know I am down with (i have 6 straight friends, you know who you are.) but its best not to assume. I know all about art for art's sake, so hey, maybe this line was written in character. I don't know why I am harping about this one line so much, it just stuck out to me a lot.
The long and short of this is; I was very interested in this band, and I would be interested to see them again in about a year to assess what kind of band they morph into next. I think they need to decide who they are a little more, which is odd to say as they have been picked up by labels and stuff. Bully for these guys! but Chris said something, what was it? something like "these guys are like white stripes meets mudhoney" and then we had to talk about Daisy Chainsaw for a bit because Katie Jane Garside is my hero in every way and I told them how I am trying to subconsciously manipulate one of my current band projects into something very Queen Adreena-esque. God willing.
So, Fucked Up. This is not a band I rock on a consistent rotation on my ipod, this is a band I knew would put on a tip top extremely high energy show that was not to be missed. And I knew that whatever side of the fence i was leaning towards on this band seeing them live would push me over one side or t'other.
amazing Chris-quote before the show started: "fucked up is like iggy pop screaming over the Who's Next." god damned brilliant. why cant i come up with lines like that? No, I have to use lines that include the word "pickleparty". I will never be a real writer.
So after my toe-demolishing experience at 506 with Guitar Wolf and being so irritatingly annoyed with the testosterone explosion of rage that engulfed the first 15ft in front of that stage, I was looking forward to a hardcore show at Kings again; a venue I knew and trusted to take care of its women-folk that needed to be handled a little more gently. no such luck. I think, although I can't be sure, that this was an all ages show. That, or i have finally reached that old age where anyone under the age of 24 looks like a 17 year old to me. God help me. So, the problem here was, i think, the immaturity and overall show-ignorance of the crowd. There was no room for girls at this show. Every time i tried to get anywhere into the middle of it, i was getting full-on toe-crushed and elbowed. I don't know if it's because I straight-up got spoiled at Valient Thorr, or maybe Fucked Up just brought that level of spasticity out of these guys, but this was not a lady-friendly show.
That being said, however, the performance itself was pretty awesome. I toppled over the fence onto the "fan fo lyfe" side after this show. and it honestly wasn't necessarily because of the music alone, which was, obviously pro; but because of the overall genuine-ness of Damian Abraham. Every preconceived notion you would have about this man on sight alone is shitty and wrong of you. tsk! He has a vocal prowess and confidence bigger than his magnificently shiny man-tits. It's like he had an invisible magic wand to whip the crowd into a manic frenzy with the slightest word or gesture. he let the crowd sing half of almost every song, holding his mic out to the sea of sweaty dudes and letting them join in the band. For the tiniest moment, every boy within the first 5 of feet of the stage was an unofficial member of Fucked Up. It was very adorable, in a really gross, sweaty way.
The best part of this show, as someone not quite as familiar with their live shows, and maybe this is standard, but how appreciative these guys were. Between almost every song, Damian made sure to tell the crowd over and over how happy they were to be here and be with us and to share their music with us. I really hope these guys never lose this. I really like bands with an understanding of how easy it is for it to all just go away.
Other than Monotonix, I've never seen any other band take advantage of the SPACE of Kings the way Fucked Up did. That was pretty rad. After all was said and done, Damian jumped into the crowd and hugged anyone who wanted a big sweaty grateful hug. I sho-nuff took advantage of this opportunity.
Speaking of "real writers"; read a for-real review of the show here written by my friend Grayson Currin:
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