Teenage Bottlerocket, Cobra Skulls, The Tranzmitors & Isotopes @ The Red Room Nov. 15th

This show review was printed in the Skinny Magazine and in my opinion I thought it was some of my finer work that I submitted to them...

Teenage Bottlerocket, Cobra Skulls, The Tranzmitors & Isotopes @ The Red Room Nov. 15th
By: denis maile 

An early show on a Sunday sounds like one for the kids. Unfortunately the kids were unable to attend as it was a no minors affair, but they probably had homework to do anyways. Stupid kids always leaving everything to the last minute.

Vancouver’s own Isotopes opened up the night and this was one game that could not get rained out for the team of baseball loving punks. They threw spit-balls, slided into first and broke all kinds of rules as they played their brand of catchy punk rock leading off with a couple of great faster tunes. Then they played a slow one that slowed it down, we’ll call it a bunt, but then back to fast! I wasn’t keeping score, but I think they were ahead. A definite fly ball! Wait, that might be a bad thing, I’ll never get the hang of this baseball terminology, and what’s with all that nut grabbing and butt patting anyway? Luckily there was no butt patting during the Isotopes’ set, there wasn’t time. Being firm believers of the ‘leave them wanting more’ policy, the Isotopes were done faster than a kid who crapped himself in the dug out. Stupid kids.

Next up was Vancouver’s best dressed band The Tranzmitors. Some people have branded them powerpop, but I think I hate that word so I’m not gonna use it. It was surfy, catchy and poppy. Ok fine, it’s powerpop. While they played I closed my eyes and felt like I was caught in a time warp. When I opened them up and watched the drummer’s old school style I knew I most certainly was. I was like that guy from that movie, and I hoped my mom wasn’t at the show. Or Biff. I was waiting for the guitar player to break his hand so I could get up there and play Johnny B Goode, but it never happened. Not to mention they had a second guitarist that would have done fine. They also had a manic keyboard player that spanked those keys like they were bad children. Stupid kids.

Then it was time for the out of towners to step up to the plate, and with a proverbial roll of the dice Cobra Skulls came all the way from Reno Nevada to do so. Their music was a bit mean, a bit greasy, a bit rockabilly and all punk. Cigarette smoking music. What’s the difference between psychobilly and rockabilly? I think psychobilly is the one with the freakouts. So this means no freakouts for rockabilly, but I’m still gonna place Cobra Skulls in that category, even though they had a couple freakouts. The crowd kicked up some dust. I could see it in the light stream. I could also see the singer’s spittle flying clearly as well. Hopefully he didn’t have the swine or he wasn’t doing the front row any favours. They were all younger folk anyway. They have good immune systems that can fight back. Stupid kids.

At this point in the night I made the observation that there were only three long hairs in the entire audience, and this was including the 80s rocker soundman who was playing really old Metallica between bands. Just throwing it out there.

And last but certainly not least was Teenage Bottlerocket. This is syrupy sweet punk rock for the kids, but those poor bastards were left in the cold and rain. I suppose they could have listened from the alley if they wanted, but they’d have to be pretty stupid to do that. Stupid kids. Ok, now that that is out of the way, let’s get to the point. Teenage Bottlerocket rocked and so did the crowd. Even though it was Sunday they were all clapping in unison, does Vancouver do that? They must have been drunk or feeling holy on a Sunday. Did I mention it was Sunday? Stupid kids. Anyway, the singer/guitarist (not the token fat guy, but the other one) called pogo party and the crowd had an actual pogo party to the tune, ‘Bottlerocket’. Yes, Teenage Bottlerocket played Bottlerocket and things were about to explode. They followed that up with ‘In the Nuthouse’, neither of which song is on the new album ‘They Came From The Shadows’, but I picked that up and it rules. So the moral of the Sunday is, stupid kids. Have a nice trip? See ya next fall!      

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