When I woke up Thursday morning, I knew it would be a day of preparation for my very first article with LAMB. I spent the day listening to Face to Face radio on various internet radio sites and was in the pop-punkiest mood I’d been in for a while. Like, seriously—I was like Punky Brewster, I was so punked out!
To be perfectly honest, I had no clue who Face to Face was when I received this assignment, but a visit to their official MySpace page jogged my memory. The first single off of their new album, Laugh Now, Laugh Later, is the super catchy tune I heard on a late night drive last week. “It’s Not All About You” has been rocking the radio airwaves since the album dropped in May, and despite the years of studio silence from the band (Laugh Now, Laugh Later is the band’s first studio release since 2002′s How To Ruin Everything), other new tracks featured on the page do not disappoint. High hopes for this show…
The gig opened up with Powerflex 5—not a hugely full house, but what show is packed as soon as the doors open? Fronted by skateboarder Steve Alba, these guys gave off a BBQ-in-the-backyard kind of vibe, but their ska-influenced jams were fun to hear.
A question arose in my mind while watching this small opening group—who were all the people in the crowd wearing merch from The Darlings? Who was this band? How did they amass this giant fan base? I kept seeing their t-shirts everywhere, and when they took the stage, I immediately understood.
This group of rockin’ dudes knows that their fans are the reason they’ve made it to HOB. The fans range from teenagers to thirty-somethings, all of whom know the words to every song. One of my biggest pet peeves at concerts is when I notice the musicians start to space out, getting lost in their heads and forgetting that there’s an audience watching them and a show to be put on. As a band, you’re not just musicians, but performers. The Darlings never lost sight of their audience, dedicating songs and taking requests, and also playing a cover of one of my absolute favorite songs, “Astro Zombies” by The Misfits. I was very intrigued by these newcomers…methinks an interview could happen soon!
So it seemed that Powerflex 5 were opening for The Darlings, and Act 2 was preparing to begin. Upon entering the press photo pit, I had to leap like Liesl in The Sound of Music over a puddle of…yeah. This is a punk show, after all. After the nice security man sprinkled the magic pink sawdust, we were on our way to rocking again. Strung Out approached the audience with a commanding stage presence, their faces glistening with sweat before they even began playing. The fans of The Darlings—The Little Darlings?—made way for the highly-Strung Out fans, who also knew the words to every song. The band knew this, and there was much mic-sharing between band and crowd.
The crowd was CRAZY for these guys. Mosh pits, shirtless drunk crowd surfers, and one guy in a Face to Face anchor t-shirt just standing and singing every word along with frontman Jason Cruz. At one point, a KROQ banner was ripped from the front of the balcony and tossed over the pit, soon to be used as a sort of Angry Punk Mosh Flag.
Did I mention that Face to Face hadn’t even hit the stage yet?
After a ton of face-melting, Strung Out reluctantly abandoned the crowd to allow for the true headliners. Face to Face strutted onto the stage like the rock stars they are. These fellows, now in their 40s, have been touring constantly since reforming in 2008, and remarkably have not lost any steam on their way back to Los Angeles. No wonder these guys decided to crank out another album—I’d makes excuses to keep touring, too, if every show was like this!
One of the indications of a great rock show to me is when the crowd starts crushing each other. You know what I mean? When suddenly the room seems to collectively sway, guys start pushing each other, girls start freaking out and leaving the floor—this is what happened when the band hit the first note of the first song. The crowd went NUTS. Security was on top of their game to remove the rambunctious rapscallions from atop the crowd, and the fellow next to me was kind enough to stop a few gents from fighting so they wouldn’t crush me. Thanks, guy!
Standing next to the massive speakers, I could feel the bass pounding in my heart. This is what I love about music. This is what I love about a booming bass, a rockin’ guitar, a catchy chorus. I love being able to feel my clothes vibrate from the intensity of the sound and being able to jump and thrash to the bass drum, which has taken over my heartbeat. So-called “pop punk” is the only music that can take over me this way, and I know now that sweaty, moshy, scream-in-your-face punk still exists—you just have to know where to look for it. Congrats to all four bands and the House of Blues for a truly awesome show.
For more info on Face to Face:
Strung Out is an incredible band, who puts on one helluva show. I am sad that I missed this one!