Fucked Up at the Albert

Ugh. I'm hungover as hell after last night's show. We saw Fucked Up. Apparently they're kind of a big deal. Fucked Up, I mean. They're a hardcore band out of Toronto. They played the Albert, opening for the way-too-old-and-irrelevant-to-be-playing-anymore-but-i-shouldn't-talk-because-i-went-to-see-Agent-Orange-last-month-who-are-equally-too-old-and-irrelevant-and-thought-they-were-awesome U.K. Subs. We also caught another opening band, the Brixton Robbers, who were also pretty good in a we-sound-a-lot-like-the-Flatliners kind of way (I promise I'll stop doing that). Fucked up blends hardcore punk with some different and very melodic sounds. They definitely disrupt what you might expect from a typical hardcore punk band.

In true Barstool Review fashion, several beverages were consumed before the show to lubricate the experience, so the extendo-long weekend (government gig means holiday Monday too! Fuck yeah!) kicked itself off to a good start.

Anyway, the show was good, but it got me thinking a bit this morning--between trips to the can, I mean. Last night's beverage of choice is exiting my body through any orifice it can find. It's nice to see a band--even as unfortunately named as this one--that can still make punk rock interesting. These days it seems like the only good thing we can dig out of the slagging punk rock scene are bands that either play a certain sound really well, living up to some strange sense of manufactured scene authenticity, or bands with a gimmick, a la Gogol Bordello or Gaslight Anthem. Look at us! Our music drips with nostaglia for a fifties rebel image that died out 30 years before we were born! 

Sure, there's been the punk-folk-country fusion that's been going on, with all these front men from successful bands in the 90s doing acoustic solo records. And yeah, I like it. In my old age, sometimes I like to hear something that isn't loud and louder, fast and faster. But seriously, I doubt the trend has much more to offer than it already has. How long can all these urban punk rockers imitate lonesome country singers before we call them out on it? Sure, I've always thought there were a ton of similarities between country and punk rock. And some of these guys pull it off better than others--generally the ones who try to create their own brand of urban folk. Others try hard to achieve an authentic country sound, with mixed results. One way or another, punk rock continues its negotiation with notions of true authenticity, both embracing it, romanticizing it, and rejecting it, all at once. And yet, rejecting stereotypes is one of the pillars of punk mentality. If that's still the case, it kind of makes this search for authenticity seem a bit misguided, no?

That's all just to say that Fucked Up was pretty good. I'm no music aficionado. I just know what I like, and I know good punk rock when I hear it, and it's great to see a band that's clearly trying to create their own sound/image. While they might not make it high on my playlist (I'm all about re/discovering 90s hip hop these days) they get mad props for keepin' it real. Yo.

Rating: 4 out of 10 for this hangover. It started out strong, but I fought it back with a greasy breakfast and it hasn't mustered much since.