King Tuff at Black Cat
Although King Tuff is now on Sub Pop records he used to be on Burger Records. This fact probably would not shock anyone who is familiar with that label. Musically he reminds me of Burger-buddy Nobunny, particularly his singing style. They're both a bit on the high-pitched side and both have a delivery which comes across as not entirely serious. He sings about banging your head to the music but not in the same way those metal guys do. It's more of a tongue-in-cheek sort of thing. I'm not saying that he isn't a serious rocker, but his music is usually about having fun. And boy, the crowd sure did have a blast as this show.
Man or Astro-Man? at Black Cat
No, Birdstuff isn't actually pissed off. He's just having a little fun with the sound guy.
Man or Astro-Man are touring as a six-piece these days. Perhaps they keep picking up passengers as they travel across the Universe? You better be getting gas money from those people! They were also joined on stage by members of The Pack A.D., specifically both members of that band, which means that the word "members" was redundant. The Pack A.D. are from Canada so they're locals.
Man or Astro-Man?'s Website, Music.
Posted: 9/28/2014 at 6:05pm Tags: Black Cat Man or Astro-Man?
Buzzcocks at Black Cat
Still inspiring mosh pits I see. The Buzzcocks sound pretty much the same as they always did: mostly punk though with a bit of a power pop side. I hate to call them "pop punk" though. They aren't. They were always just a bit odd, a little more catchy than most of their contemporaries. Perhaps this is why they had a series of minor hits in Britian, notably the top-20 singles "Ever Fallen in Love" and "Promises". So they were the well-known punk band which was a bit catchier than most. In some ways they were the inspiration for modern "pop punk", but they themselves are definitely just punk.
I was on Steve Diggle's side of the stage the whole time and apparently that was the right place to be. Everyone in the band played hard and Pete Shelly has some serious pipes, but the showman of the band is definitely Diggle. So I guess I got lucky.
Dead Gaze at Black Cat
Now here's a band that brings the rock. And only the rock, apparently. Some of the songs on their Bandcamp sounds a little like that disco-punk stuff which is so hip these days, but apparently they will have none of that hipster stuff live. They will however give the crowd shit for not standing closer to the stage, then jump into the crowd and party with 'em.
Posted: 8/25/2014 at 9:00pm Tags: Backstage Black Cat Dead Gaze
X at Black Cat
I'm not sure whether X is the most famous punk band from Los Angeles or just the one most closely associated with the city. Maybe it's the fact that they have a song called "Los Angeles", or perhaps it is because they're the only one left. Still touring with their full original lineup, even! Take that "The Germs"!
Regal Degal at Black Cat
Regal Degal are one of those electronic fusion bands. Imagine a disco version of Talking Heads, or a techno band (perhaps Javelin?) giving dream-pop a try. Think of an electronic rhythm underlying a pop (or occasionally rock) song. Regal Degal are like that, though once in a while they just go straight-up electronic (e.g. the song Mac The Halls). At least on their recordings that is what they sound like.
If you're wondering how a guitar-bass-drum trio pull that off live, the answer is that they kinda don't. Live they sound closer to a rock band. Perhaps it is just the particular songs they chose to play but their live music was heavier than their recorded output while at least on occasion retaining those danceable beats. Tricky, but they puled it off.
Posted: 7/30/2014 at 4:00pm Tags: Black Cat Regal Degal
