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| Photo by Ben Thacker |
Agnostic Front, with VietNom, Outbreak, Nobody's Hero, and Trust No One
Churchill's Pub, Miami
Friday, May 14, 2010
Better Than: Next morning, mosh pit ward at Mount Sinai
The Review:
Utter madness prevailed at Churchill's Friday night, as NYC hardcore gods Agnostic Front plowed through Little Haiti like a tattooed freight train. The legendary band is touring in support of the 25th anniversary of its classic album, Victim in Pain. Neeewwww Yooooorrrkkk Haaaarrrrdd Cooooooooorrreeeeeeee!!!
Opening up the show was longtime Hialeah hardcore incarnation Trust No One, sounding as crunchy as ever, though the bass could have been turned up a bit in my opinion. Classic fast beat hardcore with chunky buildups and breakdowns, Miami style.
Next up was Nobody's Hero, featuring an all-star line-up of punk rock vets, led by Joe Koontz of Against All Authority fame. Joe and co. have a knack for cranking out instant classics--fast and fun punk anthems, calling for unity and power in numbers. Look out for more from these guys soon.
Then it started to get crazy. The maniacs from Maine--Outbreak--shook things up for a hot minute. Though stripped down and seemingly simple, their sound was huge, and their timing was tight. Especially noteworthy was the drummer, a small leprechaun looking kid who couldn't have been over 15. Sick.
When Agnostic Front came on it was already too late to safely navigate the blood, spit and sweat-slicked slam dance floor to the front of the room. I went for it anyway, dodging flailing fists and rodeo kicks, backing off entranced and angry dancers with a Nikon flash to the face. Pow. People were literally flying in every direction, after either jumping willingly from the stage, or having been thrown or otherwise ejected from the pit. Good times.
Victim in Pain, Agnostic Front's widely acclaimed 1984 release, though relatively short, is chock full of classic tunes like "Victim in Pain," "Blind Justice," "Society Sucker," and "United and Strong." AF fans young and old united for an evening of nostalgia and brotherly violence, paying homage to a band who has been at it for nearly thirty years.
Agnostic Front and Outbreak will continue northward on their massive east coast tour, before heading across the pond for the Europe summer concert season.
Critic's Notebook
Personal bias: Hardcore4lyf
Random detail: You never know who you're going to bump into at Churchill's -- celebrities, fugitives, porn stars....
By the way: Order the Tucher.
