Future Nostalgia shines a spotlight on newer bands who, in our eyes, are on the cusp of achieving legendary status. These are acts we normally wouldn't feature, but feel so strongly about we just couldn't resist.
Fucked Up @ Webster Hall - September 24, 2011
Toronto-based hardcore punk band Fucked Up have made quite the name for themselves in the past few years. The first time I caught them was at a free Williamsburg Waterfront show in '09 where they were opening for the legendary Mission of Burma. Without knowing anything about the group, I was enthralled not only by their energy and dedication, but also with the fact that their music was so incredibly catchy and accessible (not generally the case in hardcore). Since then, they've become one of the most critically-acclaimed punk bands of recent times, and with good reason. David Comes To Life, an epic 77 minute-long concept album released by Matador Records in June, is easily one of the best records of the year--a reminder that the genre of punk music can and will continue to progress well into the future.
But similar to Les Savy Fav (who we caught a couple weeks ago), Fucked Up's live shows take on a chaotic life of their own. Within seconds of setting foot onstage at Webster Hall on Saturday, frontman Damian Abraham (a.k.a. Pink Eyes) broke the barrier that so many bands either aren't capable of doing, or are fearful of, by diving straight into the crowd and jumping around with a hoard of dedicated fans. The core of the group--three guitarists (10,000 Marbles, Gulag & Young Governor), a bassist (Mustard Gas), and a drummer (Mr. Jo)--hold their own as Damian's antics often render him unavailable of actually singing. It really doesn't matter. Fucked Up are such a great band to see live, if not only for the "crazy party" atmosphere they create, as they're such great performers and musicians it's impossible to not get completely immersed in their songs.
Pummeling through the majority of David, as well as several songs off the also excellent The Chemistry of Common Life, Fucked Up played for nearly an hour and a half, leaving the crowd wanting much, much more. Pretty sure Damian was actually on stage for about five minutes total, and between songs we were given anecdotes of potty-training his son, smoking weed with Wavves, and smelling the crotch of Justin Beiber's pants.
Speaking of Wavves (who opened), this was the fourth time I've caught Nathan Williams either intentionally or inadvertently. It's hard to not find his songs catchy, but at the same time, I found them so much more interesting when they were just these lo-fi mp3's that floated around before they really caught a lot of attention. Live, Wavves is little more than a pop-punk act--a good one at that--but disappointing compared to first discovering songs like "Weed Demon" and "To The Dregs."
Below, check out a full set of photos of both bands, as well as Fucked Up's setlist (who we have Fucked Up bassist Sandy Miranda to thank for sticking around to hand it over to us!)...
Wavves
Fucked Up
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