In perhaps the most bizarre lineup of 2007, the 9:30 club Tuesday night welcomed headliners Against Me! to the stage, accompanied by openers Cobra Skulls, World/Inferno Friendship Society and Sage Francis. However, two of the four didn't quite fit into the bill, and it wasn't too hard for the audience to figure out exactly whom they paid $15 to see.
Once Cobra Skulls were out of the way, World/Inferno Friendship Society took the stage. Their energy and dedication to music was matched only by headliners Against Me!. Hailing from Brooklyn, this nine-piece band incorporated xylophones, saxophones and a five-string bass played by a woman with dreadlocks to create a bizarre, yet undeniably intriguing, genre of circus rock. Full of charisma and energy, singer Jack Terricloth won the crowd over by singing into his old-fashioned, radio announcer-style microphone while drinking wine straight from the bottle. Sassy and suave songs like "Every Car You Buy Makes Baby Jesus Cry" and "Addicted to Bad Ideas" kept the crowd's minds captive and its eyes entertained by the plethora of visual stimulants as it tried to understand the complex lyrics.
Unapologetically different, World/Inferno Friendship Society should consider ditching this tour and head out on their own to market their cabaret/ska sound to the masses. After an uninspiring set by Sage Francis -- where only about five people knew the songs but were very vocal about it - and a very long set change, punk rock favorites Against Me! finally took the stage.
A decade ago, Florida homeboy Tom Gabel began the now four-piece band as a solo act, practicing in a college laundromat. Ten years later, after releasing five full-length albums and almost a dozen EPs, Against Me! has made the jump to Sire Records, where they released their latest record, "New Wave," in July 2007. Fans consider Against Me! a hybrid of country and punk that remains unclassifiable, and when paired with Gabel's unique, raspy vocals, this claim is not farfetched. When Against Me! first began, they were most notable for their use of an acoustic guitar in their power chord-driven albums. With "New Wave," they took a step away from their country-punk fare and instead stabbed at a more glossy, produced sound, leaving old fans disgruntled and uncertain of their former underground punk favorites.
But Against Me! held their ground, opening with the title track of their newest offering, and no one seemed to mind. Charged, bass-heavy beats typical of punk rock fueled the moshing, as each song rolled straight into the next.
The lyrics, many of which take a political, anthem-esque stand, were embraced by the politically minded crowd. "Are you restless like me?" Gabel wailed at the crowd in "Up the Cuts," another "New Wave" track. "Condoleeza, what are we going to do now?," is a lyric from a song off of 2005's "Searching For a New Clarity." With such a strong sense of political consciousness, one almost wonders why the band doesn't take up permanent residence in D.C. to play weekly gigs in town, serenading the '08 election battlers as well as the mosh pit.
In the second half of their set, Against Me! made the wise decision to traverse their catalogue of music and show off their diversity with songs like "Sink, Florida, Sink," one of their classic country-punk songs, and "Don't Lose Touch," which opens with a dreamy, arpeggiated guitar riff. In pulling out songs from their 2002 album, "Reinventing Axl Rose," and 2003's "As The Eternal Cowboy," they created a harmonious blend of new and old songs to cater to the audience's demands, making sure no fan went home disappointed.
Attendees of the Tuesday-night show swear punk is still alive and well - a sentiment to which Against Me! also seems to cling. Or perhaps they are simply the "new wave" that's keeping a scene alive.
