Less Than Jake, New Found Glory, Anti-Flag & the Teen Idols

Four good bands, one great night. The Teen Idols started off the night in a traditional display of punk-like madness. Their upbeat lyrics and high tempos signaled what the night would become. The crowd was charged when Teen Idols took the stage in defiance of time restraints. Starting early to an eager crowd was the right move to make, 'cause the audience ate these guys up. Everyone was there to see one show or the other, and different people took to different sets, but the number of people present at the very beginning - growing only slightly larger as the night wore on - says that the attendees were not just at the show for Less Than Jake. For some this may not come as a shock, but for those who have seen The Brick Works when it isn't at full capacity know that it is a rarity to see so many people out for a non-commercialized show.
Teen Idols rocked the crowd, as well as those brought in by the remaining acts. Their music was fun, a little close to mainstream "punk," but they performed their melodic tunes well. The band has a lot going for them, and although they were awesome openers, they should be given more credit than first call. All they need to do is get more followers and naked girls and they will fly to the top. The band that followed did little more than show their faces and the crowd freaked out.
Anti-Flag rocked! Seriously, the crowd went insane when these political punkers came on stage screaming "Fuck Police Brutality!" They were a little harder on the guitar than Teen Idols, but nevertheless still on the lighter side of punk. They are bitter anti-government hags from Pittsburgh, PA, that tore up the stage as they fought for peaceful societies. The lyrics were not exactly distinguishable, but I am sure they were charged with emotion. They played "Underground Network," with ferocity, and the lead singer seemed never to come up for air. Anti-Flag was awesome, rocking the house before the second-to-last set emerged on stage.
A yin to punk- rock's yang was Florida's New Found Glory, who are not really punk, but lighter and more fun compared to traditional punk rock 'n' roll. Somehow I was not as impressed with this set as with the previous two. Perhaps it was because they sounded way too much like Less Than Jake did, and they didn't have a lot of the energy that was expected. They played "Third and Long," as well as the unstoppable guy anthem, "These Girls Are Crazy." Don't underestimate their talent, they did put on a decent show. Their hip, fun music really got to the crowd and pitched them into a frenzy of moving bodies. The audience could even sing along to a song that was dedicated to The Karate Kid Part 2. The sound was nice, pop-y, but fresh; the chords were set on a high octave so that the melody shone through the vocals. The bass and drums pounded through the tall speakers. The seemingly contrasting sounds are what really makes their sound unified because they do not really contrast, but complement one another.
Less Than Jake took no time at all to get on stage for their huge group of adoring fans. This is the type of band that makes bad performing bands look really, really bad. Less Than Jake was amazing. Without too much effort and a lot of fun - and an extreme amount of talent - Less Than Jake took off. They have everything it takes to be a performing band, and with all the shows they have done, you would think they would be tired of playing their songs, but they weren't. Oh hell no, they weren't. Less Than Jake played with such enthusiasm; the trombones blared, and the guitars were nailing the chords. They even played a variation of "Sugar in Your Gas Tank" called "Sugar in Your Asshole." It was fun. It was all about the rad, fast-paced get-off-your-ass-and-dance-to-this-awesome-music. In summary, I say in all seriousness, without fancy definitions and in complete sincerity, they were good. That's just it. Good.

- Brooke Haley
- Photo by Alyssa Starkey

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