Friday night March 23, I helped pack Seattle’s El Corazon club to see a double punk bill with the Dickies and the Queers. This is the second time I have seen these two punk bands headline a show together and I hope to see them do so again.
The Dickies came on stage just as wild as ever. These guys must be about 60 years old now, but you wouldn’t know it by their stage behavior. Front man Leonard Graves-Philips, when he’s not yelling into the mic, twisted and gyrated all over the stage. Bass player Edward Tatar-Thunder Broom literally flew through the air on several occasions.
They played their classics like Nights In White Satin and Paranoid and the moshing became so intense I felt like I’d be chopped off at the hips I was shoved against the stage so many times. During their original, Manny, Moe & Jack, Leonard thrust the mic into the crowd to hear them sing along to the chorus.
Sadly, Leonard broke the news that they had inadvertently left their prop case at the LA airport that morning. They’d managed to buy the snorkel mask and inflatable doll locally, but the ape mask and penis puppet were absent. Leonard went on to explain that when they did their song You Drive Me Ape, You Big Gorilla, he became a higher primate and how erotic it was. When a heckler yelled for them to do more songs, Leonard approached him, grabbed his crotch and uttered, “Gargle my nuts,” before the band lit into the next song. The encore included their rendition of the Banana Splits theme song.
Despite the missing props, the Dickies were as entertaining as ever. Their sophomoric humor just adds to the entertainment. The rest of the current line-up of the Dickies are, Stan Lee-Guitar (who along with Leonard is a founding member), Ben Seelig-Guitar and Adam Gomez on drums.
The Queers hit the stage prior to the Dickies and they were pure punk rock. This punk rock trio that calls Portsmouth, NH home, has been around about three decades and created a mosh pit whirlpool from the get go. Front man/guitarist Joe Queer shouted more than he sang. This was a show where the audience interacted more with the band than the other way around. There were people jumping onto the stage, moshing wildly and shouting along the words to the songs.
As if things weren’t wild enough already, a guitarist with dark hair that hung below his hips, joined them. Going by the name Ginger Vitus, he moved about the stage, constantly making manic facial expressions while Joe Queer continued with lead vocals holding the mic and running about the stage. They finished their set with a savage version of the Ramones’ The KKK Took My Baby Away before leaving the stage. The Queers are what punk rock is all about. They’re untamed, high energy and total rampage. Besides, Joe Queer, the Queers are, Cheeto Crash – Bass/Vocals, Hoglog – Drums.
Starting the evening was Seattle band the Navins. The Navins played a more straight up rock and roll with punk over tones. Though the club was practically empty during their set, they did a good job warming up those who were there.
This was a night of wild, untamed punk rock. I’m battered and sore, but it was worth it.
– All photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
