After a good two weeks of utter holiday slothdom, I was more than ready to gear up for a solid night of Pac NW punk rock, as it clears out the candy canes, chocolate Santas, and gallons of spiked eggnog that come with December really, really well for me. Chop Suey hosts so many fun gigs, and the place was sold out, packed with other reprobates, sweethearts, pro wrestlers, and merrymakers of all ages. All ages except under 21, that is.
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Any time I get to see wimps perform is such a pleasure -- their spritely short songs about naps, dog pills, oversleeping, and knowing stuff about "that time of the month" always puts a smile on my face and a spring in my pogo. The band is releasing their new 4-song EP on January 21st via Help Yourself Records and I insist that you buy it that VERY DAY. Don't make me come up there, mister! DO IT!
(Click on the photos to enlarge and click on the links to see more on Flickr!)
wimps, Chop Suey, Seattle, WA. 1/3/14
It took a little while for Portland, OR. power-pedigreed punks Sex Crime to get their set going because of some tech issues, but once they began they committed FULLY to getting the crowd up and moshy. Their use of retro keyboards added a nice New Wave edge to the thrash, and you can also never go wrong with black fishnets. You can buy their 2013 "Night Vision" 7" on Danger Records via Goner if you click THIS.
Sex Crime, Chop Suey, Seattle, WA. 1/3/14
The Spits are revered as one of the greatest, grimiest, craziest, silliest, and wildest garage punks EVAH by damn near all my Seattle punk pals. I had never seen them before, but was pre-warned that I might want to keep an eye out for fireworks coming from the audience towards the stage. Not "fireworks" as an expression of passionate pep and verve; no, ACTUAL FIREWORKS. That's a new one for veteran show-goer me.
I tried to stay up front with my camera, but it was just not doable. I ended up watching The Spits' very fun, very noisy, very manic set from allllll the way in the back balancing on a cinderblock I found, which still didn't make me tall enough to get the shots I hoped for, lo siento, mis amigos. But I was able to grab a few crowd surfers, and a sweet tall girl offered me a drink of her Bailey's when she thought she had blocked my camera, so all is well.
The best thing was watching so many people sing/yell along with just the biggest smiles on their faces, happy as they could possibly be. That's kinda rare.
The Spits, Chop Suey, Seattle, WA. 1/3/14
Thank you Chop Suey, Kitty Page, and wimps, Sex Crime, and The Spits for the great night! I'll even share the last of the eggnog with you! IF YOU HURRY!
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman