Sometimes shit pisses you off, so you need to go see a good punk show.
This last Friday I was just chipper as hell, so I showed up with just the right attitude for a dingy New Brunswick, New Jersey basement show featuring Altered Boys at the helm. It was about time I caught this band, whom I’d been sleeping on for the past three months, during which they’ve put out two self-titled 7″s through Deranged Records and Katorga, who have released material from the likes of Career Suicide, Broken Bones, and NJ favorites Ugly Parts.
Sadly, they were sold out of everything, which mattered very little to me at the time, actually, because I’m broke as shit. Not too broke to own a computer, however (who isn’t?), so luckily I had already shamelessly borrowed their earlier 7″ (who wouldn’t…?).
Out on the floor, their live set is like a fast, to the point asskicking, as a real hardcore set should be. No dumb speeches made by singer Geoff except to briefly thank the promoter, announce titles, and berate himself in between songs. Tracks like the elbow-thrasher “Timebomb” and the floor-stomper “Ugliness” will ensure a few bloody noses when you catch these guys live. I’d love to include photos from the set, but some great dickhead at BNB Bowl grabbed my phone during Kill Your Idols’ set the Sunday after this show. Maybe it was Geoff, actually.
That said, the music itself leaves nothing to be desired – I rarely even find the quality of music to be all that important to me depending on what the band is doing, but when it comes to punk and hardcore the only complaint I often have is with drummers. Some guys treat their drumsets like they’re made of – I dunno, glass, or marzipan or something – but drummer Tim’s loud and precise rhythm, along with Jeff’s disgusting bass tone, fills the tiny basement with a repeating waves of impact that the crowd eats up.
While true to the genre (I guess), there is nothing vain about the point being made in these songs – it’s misanthropic, it’s critical, it’s purely negative, without any of that I-know-better vibe that sometimes finds its way into the hardcore punk message.
I don’t want to know what’s better; I prefer to find out what’s worse. Thanks, Altered Boys.
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