This was my second time seeing Chicago queercore punk band Bev Rage and the Drinks, and it was, so far, the loudest set I’ve seen them play.
First up in the small Brass Rail dive bar in downtown Fort Wayne, were The Namby Pamby, who I hadn’t seen before now. Their stuff reminded me of some of Nirvana‘s mellower tracks with harder-edged R.E.M. thrown in for good measure. It’s an interesting sound that feels familiar and yet kind of exotic.
The Namby Pamby
As I mentioned before, Bev Rage and the Drinks came out and proceeded to blast the Brass Rail’s bar out onto Broadway. I don’t know how much of it was the place’s acoustics, how much was their amps turned up to eleven, and how much of it was Ms. Rage and her band’s blazing fury, but the power of their set was palpable. They ripped through tracks from their last two albums, ending with a hard-hitting version of “Permanent Receptionist.”
Bev Rage and The Drinks
Necromoon played after them, but I was exhausted after a long work day and had to leave to make it home safe that night. It was a fun night, however, and Bev Rage always puts on a great show.
It’s that time of year again for me to start the countdowns of my favorite live shows, singles, and albums of the year. I’m starting with live shows. I saw close to sixty bands this year (and possibly over sixty if you add in partial sets), so here are the ones that topped the upper half.
#30 – Hoover iii – Levitation Austin – November 07th
Hoover iii were a pleasant surprise as the first band my wife and I saw at Levitation Austinthis year. They played a fun set of southern California shoegaze that was a great kick-off for our festival weekend.
#29 – Elephant Stone – Levitation Austin – November 08th
It’s always good to see Elephant Stone live, and their set at the second night of Levitation Austin was one of the heaviest sets I’ve heard them play. They threw in a lot of material from their upcoming album, Hollow, so it was cool to be among the first folks to hear that stuff live.
#28 – Bev Rage and the Drinks – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st
Queercore punk rock on a small stage with Halloween candy and pumpkin spice Oreos being handed out to the crowd? What’s not to like? I’d heard a lot of good things about Ms. Rage and the Drinks’ live shows, and I wasn’t disappointed. They were also a great opener for…
#27 – Shonen Knife – Subterranean – Chicago, IL – October 01st
You can never go wrong with a Shonen Knife show, and they put on a fun, rocking set of candy-powered rock that had the whole crowd bouncing.
#26 – Willie Nelson – Memorial Coliseum – Ft. Wayne, IN – August 05th
2019 ended up being a “year of legends” for us, as we saw many legendary performers this year. Among them was Willie Nelson, who played a fun set of classic hits and fun covers. His set wasn’t long due to age and what was later revealed to be some breathing issues, but it was still cool to finally see one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Who makes it into the top 25? Come back tomorrow to find out.
This was a fun lineup that combined post-punk, queer core punk, and pop-punk in one show in a small venue in downtown Chicago. When I saw that Japan’s now-legendary Shonen Knifewere playing alongside Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks, I knew this would be a show to see.
Opening the show was another Chicago band – Clickbait. I hadn’t heard them before, but they put on a fun set of no wave post-punk that combined slick bass lines, precision drumming, and quirky guitar riffs with plenty of snarky attitude (in the best possible sense). They were intriguing and are definitely a band to watch. I have a feeling they could be going places soon.
Clickbait
Following them were fellow Chicagoans Bev Rage and the Drinks, who I’ve wanted to catch since hearing their first full-length album, Cockeyed, last year. It was a fun set, complete with free snacks, that tore through a lot of material. The guitarist mentioned they were too old to play songs longer than two minutes, but I suspect the truth is that Ms. Rage and her band are having so much fun and bringing so much fury that they don’t care if the audience can’t keep up with them. They also put out a lot of sound – there were three guitars, bass, and drums all going at once on multiple tunes while Ms. Rage raged about her dating life. They’re a must-see band if they’re near you.
Bev Rage and the Drinks
I hadn’t seen Shonen Knife since I happened to be in Tucson the same night they were playing at 191 Toole. It was a blast to see them again. They came out shredding with “Konnichiwa” and then tore through new and classic material that covered some of their favorite subjects – candy, ice cream, furry animals, classic rock.
Shonen Knife were having a good time, as was the crowd. I’ve mentioned this many times to many people, but I believe it’s physically impossible to be blue when hearing a Shonen Knife song, and that’s certainly the case when seeing them live. They played at least four tracks from their new album, Sweet Candy Power (review coming soon), and all of them are good – especially the title track. Oh yeah, they played a Hardee’s in Springfield, Illinois the previous night and packed the parking lot and even scored free milkshakes after the show.
Sisters Atsuko (bass) and Naoko (guitar) always put out a stunning amount of power while singing songs about banana chips and capybaras, and their drummer Rosa is a powerhouse. It’s easy to get caught up in her adorable nature while she’s singing songs about cookie ice cream sandwiches, but she is a beast behind the kit.
Shredding Knife
They haven’t lost a step after so many tours and albums. Don’t miss them.
Keep your mind open.
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#25: Protomartyr – Consolation – This EP from these garage punks is solid and intriguing. Sporting two tracks with the Breeders’ Kim Deal as well, the record hits hard but knows when to be soft.
#24: Steve Hauschildt – Dissolvi – I hadn’t heard of Steve Hauschildt until this album somewhat fell into my lap. It’s intriguing electro that reveals more layers with each listen.
#23: Bev Rage and the Drinks – Cockeyed – Besides having the naughtiest album name on this list, Cockeyed is also one of the best punk records I’ve heard in a long while. Queercore punk is back in business, bitches!
#22: Public Practice – Distance Is a Mirror – This post-punk EP from prior members of WALL was a welcome addition to my collection of post-punk records. It’s full of razor sharp lyrics and equally sharp guitars, bass, and beats.
#21: All Them Witches – ATW – These Nashville psychedelic blues rockers upped the volume and fuzz and became a three-piece to get back to basics and melt faces.
#5: “Limp Wrist” by Bev Rage and the Drinks – This queercore punk delivers a wallop in under two minutes. This song floored me when I heard it, and I started telling everyone I knew about Ms. Rage and her band.
#4: “How Did This Happen!? by BODEGA – The return of post-punk continues with this great NYC band and this single that trashes hipsters. I couldn’t stop listening to this once I heard it.
#3: “Blinded by the LEDs” by Lindstrom – If you need an amazing EDM track, floor-filler, workout playlist topper, or just something to be stunned by, look no further.
#2: “Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae – Easily the sexiest song of the year. I can’t describe it any better than that.
#1: “Always Elsewhere” by Ron Gallo – This Zen-punk jam became my mantra after hearing it. It was a much-needed crack with a Zen master’s stick during months of chaos both local and domestic. Gallo‘s suggestion that we embrace presence instead of the willful scattering of our attention is a battle call.
Thanks for reading. Up next, the top 30 live acts I saw in 2018.
I didn’t know how much I and the rest of the world needed queercore punk in this day and age until I heard Chicago’s Bev Rage and the Drinks‘ debut full-length album Cockeyed.
Launching out of the gate with wild punk riffs on “Why Won’t You Hate Me?” Ms. Rage and her bandmates thrown down the gauntlet to any other punk band thinking of releasing a record in 2018. “Mouth” is a fast, funny takedown of a lying lover whose lame excuses and dumb alibis become enjoyable farce. It’s appropriate that the follow-up is the thirty-second “Don’t Know Shit.”
“Short Shorts” and “Limp Wrist” are each under two minutes and still pack more punk squalor into them than an entire Ataris album. “Limp Wrist” is one of the best punk tracks of 2018.
A gay friend of mine heard “Bitter Old Queen” and declared it his “new theme song.” I think he meant it for past lovers, as Ms. Rage does because both of them are too busy having fun to be bitter. Ms. Rage’s former beau does nothing but complain and no longer wants to hit the town (“I want to go out for a walk, but that is too fucking hard…”), tempting her to push her man off a bridge and end the relentless bitching.
Mission accomplished on “Someone New,” in which Ms. Rage proudly declares she’s moved onto to someone better. Unfortunately, her new man is already looking for the “Next Best Thing” (hint: He won’t find it, judging by the angry guitar chords and wild rhythm section chaos this tune has in it.).
“I’m Having a Tryst with a Narcissist” is so damn clever that you can’t stop grinning throughout it. Ms. Rage is a witty lyricist, so be sure to pay attention to the words behind the distortion, bass thumps, and mosh pit beats. “Waffle House” is another great example of her storytelling, as Ms. Rage tells of falling asleep at a Waffle House and having a naughty dream about the waiter. The album ends with “Looking,” another verbal / musical smackdown / high heel boot stomp of a lover who can’t or won’t take the Nestea Plunge with Bev Rage.
This is one of the best punk albums I’ve heard all year. It’s full of squalling guitars, rough-edge drums, fuzzed-out bass, and more anger and sass than the green room at a Parisian fashion show. Don’t miss out on it.
