The Only Way to Celebrate Is With Hard Punk Rock
Passions are what make life worth it. Tonight was a night of two of my biggest passions happening nearly the same time, music and videogames. I love them so much that they are the two things tattooed on me. When I saw set times, I was like, this will perfectly work out. Of course, on punk rock time means there is going to be sets later than planned. That’s fine, because I actually had issues tearing myself away from watching Common Tongue’s set to pick up the Nintendo Switch. Before I get to them, let me talk about how awesome the bands before them were.
Up first was the birthday boy’s new band Molotov Cockroach. Right off the top, it is exactly the type of music I come to expect seeing Eric perform. Potentially one of the hardest punk bands of the night, we find Eric doing what I missed since Common Tongue, his previous band, stopped. He is running around, wrapping himself in streamers, giving me a kiss on the forehead, and just everywhere the microphone cord can reach while he sings. Plus the great moment of singing an anniversary song to Kayla, and surprising her with a gift to close the set out just cinches this set from Molotov Cockroach.
Following them was Anti-Vision, from Vegas, who played an amazing set back at the Phoenix Ska Punk Bowling last year. The energy hasn’t changed, and in a bigger space we saw Brendan moving every which way on the Time Out Lounge stage area. These guys certainly in the competition for hardest punk band of the night too. Anti-Vision has a great mix of comedy, like their song about their distaste for Pop Punk, to politics in their songs. I love catching them when they are in town.
Their tour mates in Sector 7-G followed that awesome set up with great stuff of their own. First, let me just state, I love that their name is a Simpsons reference. Second, I think the dynamic between Ryan’s harder sound and the calmer sound of her brother, Aaron, benefits this band. It works perfectly for an excellent contrast that makes their sound so good. The added benefit of them being siblings showed itself in the banter we heard between songs that made the set more engaging. They actually have a mix of songs that they alternate lead vocals on too. Sector 7-G’s drummer, Dennis, occasionally plays keyboard in their tracks adding a dynamic not found in any of the bands tonight. They not only made for an awesome set to watch, but stood out in the night for me.
Now we reach the band mentioned at the top, Common Tongue. Unfortunately this band ceased playing when Paul moved out of Phoenix, and started traveling more. With that, their set tonight came as a further surprise. They had Leigh, from Krovak, and Billy, from Vices to the Grave, fill two spots, and the rest was just the same old Common Tongue I loved before. Travis and his brother Eric are the front men on this band, and they both run around as they sing lead vocals on every track. As seems tradition, Eric was shirtless midway through the set.
It is always fun to watch and I loved hearing Common Tongue songs performed live again. This is why I was so enthralled, and ended up delaying my leave to watch the set. I caught the special surprise for their encore as Brendan, of Anti-Vision, joined for singing a cover. They are one of the best bands I’ve seen in the Phoenix scene, so I will miss watching them again. At least, I got to see one more set from them.
