GBH w/ Outernational
Tremont Music Hall
July 27, 2010
The Deal: A good old fashioned punk rock show at Tremont with Antiseen, Outernational and GBH. Emphasis on old. It was kind of weird and funny to see 40 and 50 year-old weathered punks in the crowd and on stage. Re-scheduled show from June 2.
The Good: Outernational was a pleasant surprise. The band from New York City often fused punk, ska and rockabilly to form a versatile sequence of songs that kept the audience excited and moving their feet, arms, head, etc. I enjoyed the performance of lead man Miles Solay — dressed head to toe in black leather — looking and at times sounding like Joe Strummer from The Clash.
He was charismatic in playing his role of a punk lead singer — jumping all over the stage, contorting his body and constantly changing the tone of his voice to emphasize his wide array of lyrics which ranged from political, “Blood on the Streets”, to cheerful and cultural, “Que Queremos?”
Guitarist Leo Mintek was solid with his quirky, feel good riffs that flowed well with Solay’s vocals. It was diverse punk music that you could dance, not slam dance, to.
And then out came the veterans. No flash, no pizzazz, no small talk, plenty of attitude. That’s what I want in my punk rock stars, and the blokes from Birmingham, England, certainly delivered on that. They came up on stage and lit into an hour-plus long set with their usual brand of accelerated and aggressive English punk rock.
Front man Colin Abrahall was surprisingly sprite for someone who’s been living the punk lifestyle for so long. He was almost performing acrobatic maneuvers ascending towards the ceiling while curling his back and kicking up his legs all while twirling his red microphone stand. It was fun to see him interact with the crowd shoving the mic into fan’s faces to let them sing along and actually taking a stage dive at one point.
The “oldies but goodies” display was a high point with their punk rock anthem “Give Me Fire” from 1982, along with electrically charged versions of “Sick Boy” and “White Riot”. The latter was a testament to their love and appreciation for Joe Strummer who died eight years ago.
For a bunch of English punks, they were also very nice and humble. Abrahall always said “thank you very much” after every other song, and he and his drummer Scott Preece were talking to a multitude of people before the show.
The Bad: Charlotte’s own Antiseen. They weren’t bad per se, they just didn’t perform to the level of Outernational and GBH. I wasn’t impressed with lead singer Jeff Clayton’s growling of lyrics no one could understand. It was humorous when he smashed a small washboard over his face and then had blood protruding downward. He was a trying a bit too hard for showmanship. The instrument playing was average.
The Verdict: Good overall show for punk fans young and old alike. I feel like Outernational were as good as GBH, but in a different way. The two bands share the kudos for this show.
Setlist
101 Ways to Kill a Rat
Ha Ha
Falling Down
Diplo
Freak
Time Bomb
Gunned Down
Unique
Prayer
Maniac
Drugs
Kids Get Down
Crush ‘em
Hunted
Perfume and Piss
Give Me Fire
Sick Boy
Womb
City Baby
Revenge
Hey Keefe
No Survivors
Hecro
Knife
Moonshine
White Riot
This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2010.
I am not sure you actually were paying attention since you said “It was humorous when he smashed a small washboard over his face and then had blood protruding downward”. The washboard was smashed on the floor. Bleeding started due to contact with a barbed wire wrapped bat, then it began to poor from his head from a broken bottle that he jammed into his scar tissue riddled forehead due to many years of performing this act that the crowd begs for and loves. The use of the word “protruding” is an incorrect adjective in this case since the word means to stick out from something. The correct word in this case should have been pouring, gushing or running. I think it is safe to assume that this is not your first article that you have written and that you are a college graduate. Proof read your work. I have been an ANTiSEEN fan for 27 years and to read your opinion of their performance just tells me that you have not seen too much or done too much in your life time and that you do not value what is real and raw. You are measuring “our” not your, music with the mainstream measuring stick. It is not a stick but a weak flimsy tape measure that changes with the wind. I bet if you had been around for the original Ramones or the first few gigs of the Sex Pistols, you would have been one of those idiot music reporters that said that it was noise and was not going to amount to anything. Comparing GBH to ANTiSEEN is comparing apples to oranges. I am a big fan of GBH but what they do is different from ANTiSEEN. I was in attendance the last time GBH played Charlotte back in the late 80’s and they were great then too. Being an ANTiSEEN fan as long as I have, has been an awesome journey!!!I am not the only fan with this level of loyalty. To see Jeff Clayton and Joe Young stay true to their roots and never compromise their convictions or character is an accomplishment. They have endured the test of time and NEVER quit! You just do not get it and you never will. That is a shame. You are missing out.
ANTiSEEN OPENED THE SHOW SINCE IT WAS THEIR HOMETOWN TO SHOW RESPECTS TO THE OTHER 2 BANDS..THEY DIDN’T DO THE SAME SHOW OR AS LONG A SHOW AS THEY WOULD IF THEY CLOSED..
I’VE KNOWN JEFF CLAYTON BEFORE HE STARTED ANTiSEEN..HE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER 27 YEARS AND HAS THE SCAR TISSUE TO SHOW FOR IT..THE FANS ENJOY,ASK FOR BLOOD AND HE SHEDS IT FOR THEM..I’M NOT SOME YOUNG PUNK ROCKER LIKE MOST THAT ARE OUT ENJOYING SEEING JEFF PERFORM,I’M 57 AND STILL ROCKIN’..
RESPECT,IT WAS A TUESDAY NIGHT AND MOST PEOPLE NEED TO WORK THE NEXT DAY..THE LENGTH OF A SHOW DON’T MAKE IT A BAD SHOW..GO SEE ANTiSEEN WHEN THEY HEADLINE A SHOW OR THE ONLY ONE PERFORMING..YOU MAY GET WHAT YOU WANT OR SOMETHING SHOVED UP YOUR ASS OR MAYBE THATS WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR..
TREMONT IS NOT A FAGGOT BAR OR PLAY FAGGOT MUSIC CHRIS BUTT YOU HAVE YOUR OPINION AND I’M A ASSHOLE AND I’VE GOT MY OPINION..YOURS IS A INNY AND MINES A OUTY..
ANTiSEEN RULES!!!
RESPECT IS EARNED AND ANTiSEEN HAS EARNED MINE AND THEIR TRUE FANS RESPECT..IF YOU WERE LOOKING TO GET POKED INSTEAD OF STROKED BY THE MUSIC,CHRIS YOU WERE IN THE WRONG BAR!!!
BUY ANTiSEENS 20th ANNIVERSARY SHOW ON DVD,WATCH IT,REVIEW IT AND IF YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY I’LL BUY IT BACK FROM YOU..SUPPORT UNDERGROUND MUSIC,BUY A DVD,CD,ETC AND SHOW SOME SUPPORT!!!
MR.BANDANA
Sorry for the inaccuracy of the cause of blood. I left for a couple of minutes, came back and he had the washboard in his hands and was profusely bleeding from his forehead. Then I saw him smash it on the floor. I just assumed he collided the woodwork into his face for show. That’s what I get for assuming! Thanks.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it’s not it really matters one way or the other but I just want to know how desperate CL is for writers when they allow this hack a job?
reading this review was like reading a third graders essay on “what I did this summer.” some of the most awkward and lame grammar and descriptive observations I have ever read. it was actually a chore to get through the entire thing. at what fine institution did the writer cut his journalistic teeth ? Fuckknuckle U????
goddamn.