If you were born in the 70s or early 80s then no doubt Hits & Pits 2.0 was a celebration of the music from your youth.
Jughead’s Revenge seemed to have fallen off the radar once the late 90s came around, and their reunion in 2009 pretty much went unnoticed. Because they hit the stage early at Hits & Pits, hardly anyone was there to see them. Knowing how tough it must be to play to an empty room, you couldn’t help but feel for them, especially when that room is the Palace Theatre. The venue’s echoed sound really didn’t do the band’s songs justice. Still, the band delivered their brand of punk rock and didn’t let this drawback ruin their day.
Minnesota’s Off With Their Heads hit the stage after a quick changeover. The band bashed out their snotty brand of punk and played their songs with angst and gusto. Each song was delivered quickly, and while the crowd did the occasional head bob, Off With Their Heads seemed to have fallen short with the shy punters who resided at the back of the room.
Good For You is basically the current touring lineup of Black Flag with professional skateboarder and musician Mike Vallely on vocals. Unfortunately their music had everything but memorable songs. It felt like there were no hooks or choruses to sing along to, and Greg Ginn’s use of a Theremin felt out of place.
UK pop punkers Snuff proved once again why they are the leaders in their field. They were the first band to really get the hungry crowd jumping and moving. Snuff brandished a sense of humour and bashed out a crash course on how to play pop/punk perfectly. Their set included their singalong classics ‘Somehow’, ‘Do Nothing’, and ‘Walk’, putting smiles on the faces of the receptive crowd.
Whether they were playing perfect soundtracks for summer, like the instantly infectious ‘Sunny Places’, or thrashing out their own brand of punk metal, Snuff will forever go down in history as a band who did it right. They finished their set with the always amusing ‘Arsehole’. Hearing a crowd singing in unison to the words ‘We’re all arseholes / We’re a bunch of wankers!’ just needs to be seen to be believed. The bottom line is that Snuff can do no wrong.
Bad Astronaut followed with a set of mediocre songs in comparison to Snuff’s set of fast punk and wacky humour. Their indie punk songs sounded borderline emo and sadly seemed to drag on. The crowd at the front did enjoy their style, and there’s no question that Joey Cape is a very talented guy (as his days in Lagwagon have shown), but Bad Astronaut just didn’t feel like the right fit for this particular event.
Swedish longtime pop-punkers No Fun At All came out swinging with their fast-paced tunes full of melody and intensity. They may be older, but they haven’t slowed down one iota. Each song was played to an appreciative crowd who showered the band with praise. The group returned to our shores armed with nothing more than a knack for great songs and good times.
When they finished with their hugely popular song ‘Master Celebrator’, all those in attendance cheered in response. Cries for more rang out as they walked off the stage, proving that their position as one of the most popular groups from the 90s pop-punk explosion is still relevant today.
The screaming vocals of Boysetsfire frontman Nathan Gray, combined with the energy emanating from the band on stage, brought those still seated to their feet. Regardless of the headliner, it seemed that Boysetsfire was the band that people went to see. Armed with powerhouse riffs and catchy songs, they simply brought it.
Not a dud track was played, and you could tell this band knew what they meant to all of those watching. Since 1994, Boysetsfire have been playing their heavy-duty anthems for a new tomorrow. After witnessing them in the live context, it’s no wonder why they have such a dedicated following.
For those not in the know, there are currently two versions of Black Flag touring the globe. One is simply titled FLAG and has original Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris backed by past Black Flag members Bill Stevenson (drums), Chuck Dukowski (bass), and Dez Cadena (guitar), with Stephen Egerton (guitar) rounding out the stellar lineup. The other is this sad state of affairs. Legendary Black Flag guitarist and SST label founder, Greg Ginn, reunited with vocalist Ron Reyes, who fronted Black Flag from 1979 – 1980. Reyes can also be seen as the band’s wild singer in the Decline Of Western Civilisation documentary.
What had appeared to be a highly-anticipated show was unfortunately a set of songs that sounded unrehearsed. Whether this was because the band went on at a ridiculous hour or not, who knows, but after standing around since 5:30pm, people were fading fast. Black Flag performed their hits ‘Six Pack’, ‘Depression’, ‘TV Party’, and ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’, but they played them so haphazardly that you couldn’t help but notice people leaving in droves. The Palace staff and janitors even swept the floors around the small crowd as the band played – talk about an awkward moment. The conversations overheard by the punters were not at all positive, ranging from “I really wanted them to be good” to “this has to have been the worst gig I have ever seen in my life”. Ouch.
To be honest, the sad fact remains that there was just nothing about Black Flag’s set to rave about. Sure, Greg Ginn was an innovator of a great chaotic punk-rock guitar style – but, on this occasion, they appeared to be a shadow of a legendary band.
