Against Me! (photo: Amanda Starling)
Balled-up hoodies, black Vans sneakers and, at one point, people were hurtling on stage at the Against Me! show in Tampa, FL. I envisioned a shrine to vocalist/guitarist Laura Jane Grace forming on the beer-coated floors as Tampa seemed intent to deliver a pile of offerings in the band’s honour.
Against Me!, the Florida punk heroes that local genre geeks boast about (yes, Against Me! is up there with Hot Water Music for us), delivered a performance that echoed a sentiment of classic punk and yet an invigoration for a more open, fresher community. Grace, at the helm of transgender rights, wields her influence with the occasional impassioned tweet, mid-set Florida Equality shout-out, and her most powerful tool of all: a genuine smile.
For all of the shredding that rips through an audience, the guttural growls and cutting lyricism that Against Me! is known for, Grace never looked happier than exchanging hugs with fans that tore through waves of the crowd for just a moment on stage (or five). It’s a quality lost in some performers, musicianship balanced with performer, and Against Me! has unlocked both.
Against Me!, leading a special Southern US tour, swept up stages in Florida with an incessant energy. Even after nearly 20 years as a band, it’s in recent years that the band has revitalized, and their performance shows it. Grace belted out “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” with equal passion as “Reinventing Axl Rose,” and the quality of the performance only soared from the first echoing chord.
It was equal parts love for “True Trans Soul Rebel” and “Thrash Unreal,” which speaks for the endurance, edge and honesty of Against Me!’s performance. Picking the best of an hour set is near impossible, but screaming/shouting the mid-set punk anthem “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” was potent. Bones were almost crushed, but wide-eyed fans were never happier.
“Well, we’re Florida punks and I guess you are, too, so we’re all Florida punks together, yeah?” Grace called out to the crowd and the roar of the Ritz couldn’t be contained.
Openers Worriers and Creepoid left an impression of the friendliest familiarity. But it’s vocalist/guitarist Lauren Denitzio’s Worriers that wowed with irresistible bounce, teasing to a few new songs on an awaited new LP. The Brooklyn punk collective is unforgettable; the poignant choices off full-length Cruel Optimist resonating the heaviest with the Ritz audience.
Creepoid, a Philadelphia pick, oozed with an aura of indie slow-jam, balanced by a hardcore slap. The lengthy, trance-like stretches use a dash of grunge reminiscence with ethereal post-rock flavour. It’s impossible to pin Creepoid to one great song or genre; and that’s exactly what they want.
No Comments