Sick Of It All is still Built To Last.

First of all, I have been extremely lazy when it comes to updating my blog.  I need to make it a priority to update this page more with some of the shows I go to and all the "facebook promoting" I do for bands and what not, this is another tool to do just that.

Now that I got that out of the way, I hadn't been to a show in nearly two months.  Since Cock Sparrer at Club Lido and Rancid at the House of Blues for two nights, work has taken priority over everything that I love to do when it comes to music.  New York hardcore legends, Sick Of It All were brought to Club 58 in Quincy by Brass City Boss Sounds.  They were on tour supporting the Cockney Rejects.  Unlike most of the time, I showed up late towards the tail end of Yellow Stitches and I was not as familiar with Hostage (who I missed), and Hammer and the Nails (who are an Oi! band featuring Matt Kelly from DKM on drums.)  Due to my unfamiliarity with Cockney Rejects as well, I decided to write a mini review for the band I came to see, Sick of it all. 

These hardcore pioneers have been around for twenty six years playing their brand of hardcore music the way its meant to be done: loud, fast, honest and to the point.  In my eyes, and many of the fans there, Club 58 was the perfect spot to see them play because the stage was less then a foot off the floor.   Therefore, it was the crowd, and the band.  No security in the pit, and no barracade. 

SOIA filed on stage, introduced themselves, and the drums hit for the opener, "Built To Last".  The floor was covered in punk rockers, skinheads, hardcore kids, and your everyday average person.  The crowd pushed towards the stage with raised fists, singing as loud as they could with Lou Kollar, their lead singer.  "Built To Last" quickly became, "Its Clobberin' Time!" which is the one line in the song.  Its a fair estimate that the song could be roughly 45 seconds long.  As moshing, and crowd surfing took place, the entire crowd up front participated in a "gang sing along."  There wasn't a single person who didn't know the lyrics to their songs. 

The band's setlist consisted of their older songs.  When it came to most recent songs, their most well known song from their latest release, "Based on a true story" was "Death or Jail". They played two anthems from "Death To Tyrants" which were "Take The Night Off" and "Machete".   On a personal note, "Good Lookin' Out" has always been a favorite of mine.  It's one of those tunes that makes me think about what punk and hardcore is about: being there for eachother, and having eachothers backs.  Loyality is what its all about. 

The opening bass line from "Just Look Around" made the crowd move even more.  The crowd sang back to the band: "The question they keep asking me, how can one so young be so bitter and angry" when it was just vocals and bass.  As expected, "Scratch The Surface" made the setlist where the band split the crowd in two for a wall of death.  When Lou screams the title, and the crowd collides into a spinkick and moshing frenzy.   The band played, "Call To Arms", "Us Vs. Them", "Sancutary" and added in "Injustice System!".   Sick of it all ended with their rowdy closer, "Step Down" which everybody sang along at the top of their lungs. 

Seeing these guys play again after six long years was an awesome experience.  The last time I saw them was March 2006 at the Avalon Ballroom (Rest In Peace).  Sick of it all is a band I would love to see more often, particularly in their home enviroment, New York City. They are a band that is meant for small club shows and crowd interaction as much as possible.  They are true professional artists and performers whom are relentless and talented in what they do.