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Guttermouth
+ the LINE (Rock City)
What
do you want from a punk gig? To come home with
your T-shirt to your back, along with two black
eyes? The feeling you’ve been entertained,
enlightened? Deafened even? Maybe you crave
toilet humour and impromptu karaoke?
Ladies kissing other ladies anyone?
All of the above were provided by the fine guys
from Guttermouth on an unseasonably hot Tuesday
in April. The disco in Rock City is an odd place
to “see” a band at the best of times, there
always seems to be a pillar in your line of view
and sweat drips off the wall, even when it’s
empty! But, for want of a better phrase, it
rocked tonight!!
Openers the LINE did nothing to disappoint,
sounding something like the Get Up Kids’
harder mates. They sound less like NOFX and more
like Lagwagon, with the added bonus that
they’re nasty enough to avoid falling into a
mould, but poppy enough that there’s no guilt
concerning the multi-national bastardisation of
the world.
Last time I saw Guttermouth was at
Deconstruction 2000. One remark irrepressible
singer Mark Adkins made that stuck in my head
was “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special
guest for you, you may have heard about him or
seen him on TV, I give you………..The Sun!”
Well yet again the Californians have brought
break neck punk and good weather to our shores,
and for some reason an above average quota of
kids on crutches. This leads to an improvised
song along the lines of “he’s got polio,
he’s got polio, he’s got polio, he’s gonna
die!” before degenerating into “I fucked
[drummer] Tye’s girlfriend last night.” The
aforementioned sticksman was thankfully present,
having slept through the Sydney date of the
Aussie Warped Tour.
Although having the original bassist back means
that many of the request can’t be played, he
more than makes up for this by walking off the
stage, and playing on he bar.
As the infectiously fast and funny songs stream
out a short break comes in the form of a guest
guitar spot from a barman the band met in one of
the many pubs they visited. Despite being booed
off the stage he, like the rest of the crowd,
leaves with a big grin the size of Texas
(careful…Ed.)
Well you’d have to be dead no to.
Eliza 14.05.2002. |
