Cro-Mags live at the Middle East Downstairs- June 1st, 2014

Seeing Cro-Mags for the first time in my life last Sunday was an unreal experience and because it was at my favorite venue in Cambridge, the Middle East Downstairs, it was all the better!  The last time these guys were in town, I missed the show and so I didn't hesitate to grab myself a ticket and to finally see these hardcore legends live.  Not only them, but some local greats as well rounded off the bill.  With the young bucks, Neighborhood Shit from Southie with their thrash and hardcore sound, Taxi Driver hailing from all over New England with their brand of hardcore punk and Boston greats, Death Before Dishonor who are simply one of the best hardcore bands around. Not to mention, the infamous Anti-Nowhere League was on the bill, too!  These bands rounded the bill off nicely and I must say, it was simply one of the best shows I have been to in sometime.

Photo by Billy Korecki

Neighborhood Shit started the night off with a twenty minute set.  It was the first time I saw these guys play and from what I hear they are relatively new to the game.  I personally feel that they are one of those bands that you will constantly evolving from each show they play and practice they attend.  If you're into the thrash and hardcore mix, these guys would be right up your alley, as well.  From what it sounded like, they are a band that talks about what they know and only what they know and with that, I give them props for it.  They took the time every couple of songs to go and talk about their story.  You don't always hear that with some of the younger and newer bands.  You could also tell they were genuine and knew what they were talking about which is something rare for the young generation.  I know at some point, I will see these guys again at the next hardcore show.

Photo by Billy Korecki 

Rounding second was Taxi Driver who have been in the game for a few years now.  I have known these guys as friends for quite awhile but this was only the second time I saw them play.  Either way, they were great.  For those who haven't been up to speed with them like myself, they have written a ton of new songs that were included in their set.  Not to mention, some of the older tunes that give their fan base familiarity at their shows was included as well.  Taxi Driver started with Left For Dead which is off their first E.P. and went right into some newer songs such as Hell Ride, and True Grit.  Included in their set was the song Trench which is one of their older songs and a favorite.  The short six song set rounded out with P.O.I. and what should be the newest skinhead anthem, Taxi Driver ended with Pride.  These guys played a tight and fun set and you can tell they get better and better every time.

Photo by Billy Korecki 

Next up was one of my favorite bands to come out of Boston, Death Before Dishonor.  These guys started out awhile ago and over the years, have made their mark simultaneously in not only the Boston hardcore scene but also are recognized all over the United States and abroad.  They are a band who are always in demand!  I have seen Death Before Dishonor a handful of times and this was easily the best time I have seen them.  The energy was perfect in the club that night and everyone who was a fan there was up front and singing along.  They opened right up with the classic, Born From Misery from their album, Friends, Family, Forever or 666.  From there, they drove straight into Break Through It All  and the upbeat track, Count Me In.  Their set included a great mix of old and new with them playing Peace & Quiet from their latest release, Better Ways To Die as well as Our Glory Days.  Some more older songs that were played were Curl Up & Die, Friends Family Forever and they ended their with with a cover of Boston Belongs To Me (Originally by Cock Sparrer and replaced with England with Boston) featuring Colin from Colin of Arabia.  Every time they end with that, the show ends on a positive and unified note with a gang sing a

Photo by Billy Korecki

long with everybody jumping for the microphone.  What is great about these guys is that they don't stop, they just keep going and getting better!  Excellent set overall and I can't wait for the next one.


Anti-Nowhere League was next!  It was my very first time seeing these guys play and they were a lot of fun.  It's pretty clear they are veterans to the punk scene and they still hold up on stage pretty well. A good thirty to forty minutes of street punk got the crowd warmed up nicely for the ladder.  They opened up with We Are The League which sent a flurry of bodies into circular motion and crowd surfing on top of one another.  You could tell they are well respected by the underground music community with this reaction.  They played a lot of fan favorites such as I Hate People and Let's Break The Law.  Once these guys started, they sure as hell didn't stop either.  You could tell that they work really hard on stage to go and involve the crowd as much as possible.  Other songs included We're Skull and Bones, Chocolate Soldiers, and much more.  To say they played a full set in the slot were given would be a pretty valid statement.  Overall, Anti-Nowhere League was a blast and I hope they come back again soon!

Photo by Billy Korecki

Last but certainly not least was New York Hardcore Legends,  Cro-Mags.  After a brief change over, the lights went down and their intro music came on which eventually faded.  After a few drum clicks, Cro-Mags kicked right into World Peace from their influential album, Age of the Quarrel    Most of their set consisted of most of that album and went right into Show You No Mercy.  Other songs I wasn't entirely familiar with included Malfunction and Crush The Demoniac.  You could tell there were plenty of fans in the crowd who have seen these guys before and have been following them for years.  With much crowd participation, you could tell that the band was feeding off the crowd, and the crowd was feeding off the band.  It was great to see that there is that kind of energy in the punk and hardcore scene still.  The Cro-Mags also went and added in a few covers from Bad Brains.  These covers were Right Brigade and Attitude which both incited much crowd participation.  Other favorites in the set were Street Justice, Sign of the times, and a personal favorite, Life of My Own.  Cro-Mags ended their set with Don't Tread On Me, We Gotta Know, and lastly, Hard Times.  

Photo by Billy Korecki