US BombsNight Two of Soundfest, this time at El Corazon which is on Eastlake under the Denny Way viaduct. When I arrived, Neutral Boy from Bremerton, WA, was just starting their set. These guys are more metal than punk, but they were quite good. They play it fast and they play it hard. The vocalist has a gritty, gutsy voice that sounds like he gargles with gravel every day. They were a great band to get things warmed up.
The next band up I thought was going to be Fiction Reform, but Fiction Reform has a girl singer. This band did not. This band was a four-piece with two guitars, a drummer and a keyboardist who switched back and forth between the keyboards and a single drum, which at one point he played using a maraca as a drumstick. They played through their set like a finely tuned sports car with very catchy, danceable songs and even got a small circle pit up and running. They were very good and I’d see them again if I knew who they were. Seems the bands no one knows about never introduce themselves and never have a banner with their name emblazoned on it.
The DickiesNext up was a band I’ve been waiting over thirty years to see — The Dickies! I finally got to see The Dickies. They seldom seem to venture outside of their California home these days, so I was ecstatic to learn I’d finally get to see them. The Dickies have to be the fastest playing punk band ever to grace the airwaves. I defy anyone to prove otherwise. The show was one of the most entertaining I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness. Singer Leonard Graves Phillips, tall and lanky never stood still except for brief periods when he leaned into the audience while singing into the microphone. He pranced around stage and at several points brought out hand puppets as props. One such puppet was a giant white penis with eyeballs. Then there was his pas de deux with an inflatable woman. The rest of the band was just as entertaining with guitarist Stan Lee (who has Spiderman tattooed on his guitar) constantly goading Phillips into on stage banter. They performed many of their old hits like the old Moody Blues cover of Nights In White Satin, which was the first song I heard by them back in 1979. While performing their famous cover of Gigantor, Phillips donned a long white towel as a cape and leaped about the stage as if he had springs in his feet. I hope I don’t have to wait another thirty years to see The Dickies again.
Following The Dickies, I didn’t think any band could come close. I mean, what band is worthy of even polishing The Dickies’ shoes, right? Another So. Cal band called US Bombs wowed me the second they walked on stage. I was somewhat familiar with US Bombs songs, having heard them on Green River Community College’s punk station KGRG. I also have them on a Warped Tour Compilation CD or two. But I had not heard anything about their live shows. I was more than impressed. Vocalist Duane Peters comes on stage sporting dark sunglasses, a cap and wearing a sport jacket with paint splatters on it similar to the one Steve Jones wore on stage for Sex Pistols gigs. He shed it after two songs and wore a striped button shirt with the bottom torn off. That was also shed revealing several unique tattoos across his torso and back including a tattoo of a revolver on his right hip. He prances about the stage with a pompous swagger and several twirls. Their music was hard core punk done the way hard core punk should be played — raspy, grinding vocals without sounding like someone puking his guts out after a night of binge drinking. The US Bombs set was way too short and my ribs are still sore from being bashed against the stage countless times by the slammers.
My only complaint about the night was the long wait time between bands. It did give me the chance to go outside, which was a relief from the stifling heat inside the club. I love El Corazon, have been there countless times, but there is definitely a lack of ventilation and combined with the summer heat and the large crowd crammed into the tiny space, I swear it was at least 90 degrees.
The VandalsAfter hearing sounds of a band coming on stage, I ventured back into the club to find The Vandals starting their set. What? I thought Angelic Upstarts were next. Turns out they had to cancel so The Vandals, the night’s headliner were coming on early. I’ve seen the Vandals twice before. The first time was at Warped Tour I believe in 2004. They stole the show that year. I saw them a couple or so years later at this very same club. To truly appreciate The Vandals one must see them live. They put on an incredible live show. Their songs are tongue in cheek sophomoric about rejection (My Girlfriend’s Dead about not wanting to tell people your girlfriend broke up with you so you tell everyone she’s dead) to a song about diarrhea. This band has tons of fun on stage and is determined that the audience does too. Vocalist Dave Quackenbush jokes with audience members, takes requests and is obviously having a great time. For the finale, Quackenbush trades places with guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, letting Fitzgerald take over on vocals. Fitzgerald was very animated, goading the audience into a frenzy with contorted facial expressions and an in your face style. The Vandals play an action-packed non-stop, high energy show. They played my favorite Oi To The World about a Christmas Eve showdown by rival gang members. The chorus If God came down on Christmas Day, I know exactly what he’d say. He’d say oi to the punks and oi to the skins, but oi to the world and everybody wins is a great message everyone should live by.
So that ended night two. I’ve noticed a healthy mix of old-time punkers (like me who were around when punk was born) along with young kids who wouldn’t have been born when The Dickies first emerged on the airwaves. Punk is definitely not dead in Seattle. I survived my second night. I’m punch drunk from lack of sleep, I have a stiff neck from some crowd surfer using my head as a landing pad, my internal organs have probably been rearranged from being slammed into so much, but am I complaining? Absolutely not! I’m having the time of my life seeing these great bands. Still to come are Stiff Little Fingers — another band I’ve waited thirty years to see.
