To keep my life interesting I am all for taking odd
adventures and excursions to places I probably have no place setting foot in.
So, it was with that spirit I made my way down for an evening visit to my favorite
concert venue, The Crofoot, to take in what might be called the most
“exuberantly perverse” show of the year. As an all-ages show, which by the
likes of this crowd was defined by kids under 18 accompanied by shell-shocked
parents over 40, the bands started playing early, I already missed 3 bands by my
arrival at 7pm. I did hear from quite a few people that Bunny the Bear is a
band worth checking into.
The first band I saw was Polkadot Cadaver, which were really
a throwback to the aggressive hardcore bands of my youth. The lead singer sang
the entire set at the front of the audience, literally shouting at their faces.
I dug their energy and the guitar player that climbed the pipes above the
audience would probably do well at a Hunger Games event. Near the end of their
set they did a head-scratching but stellar version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie
Jean.”
Former Hollywood Dead singer, Deuce, played next, and his
set was a mixture of hip hop with rock beats and some screaming thrown in for
good measure. Having interviewed Deuce a few weeks ago, he was who I came to
see and his show was a real knockout punch that had the crowd fist pumping and
jumping to the music. Deuce performed most the songs of his album “9 Lives” (comes out this week!) onstage
with a MC, keyboard player, guitar and drummer. His performance proved he has a
sound and audience of his own.
Brokencyde played next, and I want to say these guys were
great because they had the coolest t-shirts on sale, but it all came across a
bit too chaotic for me. Their opener was a long real minimal beat hip hop song
with various members of the band running up and rapping verses. Each member had
their own trademark scream but their rapping wasn’t very distinctive. The
kids in the crowd loved it as they even formed a pit at one point and did some
polite moshing.
Maybe the most perplexing band for me was the headlining
Blood on the Dance Floor. Their sound is a collision of synth, hip hop, metal
and emo. Yes, all that at once, with really X-rated perverse themes delivered
in a cartoonish way that makes it all somewhat acceptable for the PG-13
crowd. The two main members, dress like Motley Crue crossed with anime
characters and trade vocals while dancing around stage looking like their
having the best time ever. They had “sud” cannons that continually covered the
crowd in white foam (there’s definitely a not so well hidden meaning going on)
and confetti blasters. BotDF was like an amusement park ride that flew you
through some dangerous rapids, covered you in goo and left you with a beaming
smile because you were strapped in and safe the entire ride.
You can see all the pics including some crowd shots at my flickr page for the show!
This Post by Mikel O.D. of