Thirty years on...
by Stephen Miller
posted 2006-09-25
Thirty years on, dinosaurs roam the Earth or at least The House of Blues for one night. Tuesday, July 25th, The Buzzcocks live at the Anaheim House of Blues at Downtown Disney.
Photo courtesy of The Buzzcocks
Middle aged accountants out for a night of fun and nostalgia, or is it neuralgia? Lots of balding pates and sagging boobs, dressed for a night out at El Torito, some folks in resort wear: shorts and Disneyland t-shirts, with kids in tow, very strange. No don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t just a convention of middle aged recovering punk rockers; It was a cavalcade of teenage kids in t-shirts advertising bands long gone before their birth, perfect recreations of ages long gone: some tall skinny kid looking spot-on for Johnny Thunders circa 1976, skintight pants, stripped jacket, long hair and hat, très cool, Mohawks, faux-hawks, Liberty spikes, the full gamut.
But I am here for the Buzzcocks. It is my first time at this venue, and my first time to a club in a long time. The Knitting Factory the last time Pere Ubu was around a couple of years ago was probably the last time I was able to drag my sorry ass out to a gig. But there was no way in hell I was going to miss this show. Are you kidding? The Buzzcocks! Second only to the Sex Pistols and Ramones in the Punk Pantheon, are possibly the finest crafters of power pop/punk ballads of lost love and teenage ennui that ever existed. Have I said that I am a fan?
So, on a Tuesday night in Anaheim, next to and part of the happiest place on earth, this forty seven year old balding father of two finds his way to a show by one of his favorite bands. I am very relieved to only have to pay $20.00 for a Tuesday Night gig, and after getting inside and paying $3.00 for a small plastic cup of Diet Coke, I’m glad it’s such a bargain show. I know that it’s Disneyland and all, but $4.00 for a small bottle of water? My God man, how much profit do you need to make?
Opening up the show is a local band Easy Image, from Carson according to their MySpace page. A young four piece band, with the singer doing double duty on the keyboards on some of the songs, I really liked their sound and image. Very tight playing, bright and up tempo, although the band seemed to be trying a bit hard to connect with the audience with the between song activities. What’s the deal about giving out t-shirts? The singer kept asking if anyone wanted his t-shirt, and to see him after the show. I’m sure that they have an avid following, and are really quite good, but just an idea…cut the insipid blather between songs. I’ll give them kudos for getting up and playing a great set, and far be it for me to criticize anyone’s onstage persona, unless they are a real a-hole, but unless the banter relates to the songs or the band, it’s just so much vacuous filler.
Photo courtesy of The Buzzcocks
The song, “No Romance” was a real standout, very Gang of Four, with funky bass line and bright guitar counterpoint, nice danceable tune. “Sex Mode”, “Tension” and “Devastation”, which you can find on their MySpace, are quite good. Most of the tune were along this line; mid to up-tempo, very catchy, somewhat derivative in a good way, they wore their influences on their sleeves; whether they know it or not is another issue. Their youth is both an advantage and disadvantage; with a little time these guys could be very huge, their appeal is unmistakable. They were a very good choice to open the show. The sound mix wasn’t too bad, a bit muddy on the vocals, although if it was the mix or the singing is debatable. There was way too much mid-range going on, and the feedback was a real issue. One small note, some woman kept screaming about every minute throughout the entire set. Just a suggestion lady, everyone appreciates a good show, but curb your enthusiasm just a bit. Either that, or get a later start on chugging the Rolling Rock’s.
Second up was The Strays. Straight ahead Rock & Roll with a hard Reggae/Punk feel, these guys ROCKED! Four piece rock set-up, they had problems with the rhythm guitar right from the start, but their experience really showed, handled all problems like real pros. Even after the guitar malfunction mid-set, they soldiered on with a set tighter and fuller than a lot of bands might accomplish with everything going right. The sound mix, even after the loss of the rhythm guitar was awesome: crisp and clean, great balance, the vocals clear, the bass and drums well defined and not overpowering. Quick clean song transitions, no unnecessary banter or pandering. The song “Geneva Code” was a stand out, with “Block Alarm” and “Kill” being songs you can find on their MySpace site. Their Debut EP “Le Futur Noir”, on TVT records is due out September 12, 2006. BUY IT! The band did a cover of “Spanish Bombs” by the Clash, and it was very cool, the entire place singing along during the chorus. It was a kind of litmus test to see who knew the verses, and it was mostly the old codgers like myself singing the verses, (the I’m cooler than thou test).
