Everyone should be listening to Fucked Up. That’s a fact. Unfortunately, hardly anyone does. That’s a sad fact. I mean this in the sense that this band should be much much bigger than they actually are. For one thing, they play glam punk, fuzzy and complex, and layered. They release a plethora of vinyl and take it all on tour with them. And, finally, their latest release David Comes to Life is such a fantastic concept album (a punk opera) that everyone should be making an effort with it. Of course they’ll try it (Pitchfork told them to), and they won’t like it (because none of their friends like Fucked Up), but that’s because there’s something wrong with them.
So, having been way overdue on seeing them (it’s been two years!), I was glad to check them out at the Sinclair: the go-to spot in Boston these days.
It’s no surprise that Fucked Up still put on an amazing show. You wouldn’t guess that they went on a semi-hiatus last year, because Fucked Up still makes it look effortless on stage; the songs just pour out of them, the fury of the performance is undeniable (which has plenty to do with drummer Jonah Falco), and the charm is prominent. I think it probably has to do with lead singer Damien Abraham’s recent acquisition of drugs in his life, which he announces has taken the edge off in such a way that his anxiety is gone, and his weight is down. Perhaps this means the band can focus on their music again.
They might have slowed down a bit over the past year (blame it on Abraham’s anxiety), but the band appears reinvigorated, touring more, and recording more music. We might even have a new Fucked Up release by the end of this year. We even get a little preview of this as the band performed some new tracks which sound exactly like you would expect from this band. This is as great an excuse as any to see them live.
So really, there’s not really much else I can say about Fucked Up. You should be listening to them or catching them live. Do it because you have to, and keep the fact that you don’t really like them to yourself.
Tour:
Fucked Up's current tour continues. Click here for an updated list of shows.
Photos:
Fucked Up – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA – 13/06/13 – [Photos]
Artist:
www.lookingforgold.blogspot.ca/
10000marblessucks.blogspot.ca/
www.facebook.com/pages/Fucked-Up/
www.twitter.com/leftfordamian
Although I had already hit six shows in the weeks leading up to Fucked Up, this was the one gig I was really looking forward to. After a friend had turned me on to the band a couple of years ago I found myself listening to Fucked Up's records over and over again, and I have to admit I had a slight obsession with this band after hearing their latest release, The Chemistry Of Common Life. So after missing them the last time they had played in S.F., I was stoked to finally get a chance to see them live.
Hitting the stage and immediately ripping into "Son The Father," the band created nothing short of a total wall of sound with their three guitars, drums, and bass. To be honest, I was wondering if they would be able to pull off the "heaviness" so prevalent on their latest record, but they did, times ten. As if that wasn't enough, the songs were brought to life even more with the vocals and antics of singer Pink Eyes, who spent the entire show screaming into his microphone with a plastic beer cup suctioned onto his forehead. Now normally this might have been a distraction, especially when combined with the fact that he also removed most of his clothing and gave the crowd more than an eyeful of ass and back hair, but somehow it all seemed secondary to the music the band was cranking out.
After ripping through about ten songs, including "No Epiphany," "Magic Word" and my personal favorite, "Crooked Head," the band closed the set was an absolutely ass-kicking version of "Police," which was dedicated to Oscar Grant, who was killed by BART officers on New Year's Day. The band then left the stage, but it wasn't over yet…
Returning to the stage and announcing they had a "special guest," out walks none other than San Francisco icon Jello Biafra, and he and Fucked Up launched into the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," complete with a naked guy who jumped onto Pink Eyes' back and was spanked by Jello before diving into the crowd and being literally thrown out on his ass. It was a perfect way to end the show, and pretty much sumed up what a wild evening of punk rock it really was.
Artist:
http://www.myspace.com/epicsinminutes – unofficial MySpace
