Agnostic Front, F-Minus, Hit by a Semi & ATM

Having just finished a good skate session at our new ramp and finishing a six-pack along the way, I was in good spirits for a hardcore show. I'd never seen Agnostic Front before, despite having listened to them almost half my life, so I was pretty excited to finally hear "Crucify" live. Little did I know (yeah right!) that the night was to be a drunken, sloppy good time that would once again have me thanking my lucky stars that I take notes at these kind of shows now so I don't have to remember it all.
The first band up was a trio from Chicago that was full of bubble gum, pink flair. They all had matching pink converse, matching pink logo'd shirts, and very pink songs. Standard heavy riff guitar work coupled with a steady bass line and decent (if not flashy) drumming. Top off this generic sundae with some whiny, high-pitched vocals about his girlfriend (yeah, right) or something and you have your typical San Diego sound. Not to fuck with these guys entirely, they were pretty tight and it is cool to see an Illinois band out here in Chico, but I hate their sound and every other band that sounds like them and I'm writing the review, so piss off.
"Hit by a Semi is sooo hot. I wanna make out with them," said one of the girls who tend to gravitate toward this motley crew of misfits. Hey, that's three band names used in one sentence. Hit by a Semi is fresh off another tour and you can tell. They played their songs tight, like they had just practiced for five straight hours then hopped up on stage to do it again. All the old favorites including "Friends, Booze and Tattoos," got the sing-a-long effect from the crowd. What more can you say about these guys that hasn't already been said? The new songs rip, the old songs are still fun to hear, and they have more fun than anyone else does at their shows.
The next band is one of the reasons I still go out to see live music. You never really know what you might find — you can get skunked from good music or can run into a band that really hits home. F-Minus kicked ass. Two girls on guitar and bass who play meaner than most convicts I know, a guy guitarist who has some issues to work out in his head and a drummer who seemed to hate his set enough to beat the shit out of it. Angry punk rock rules because it is truth, maybe not yours or mine, but to the person or people playing it means everything. The only bands they're comparable to, still doing them justice, is maybe the Accused without the metal and Martha Splatterhead's voice.
Agnostic Front is still playing tough after all these years. Though the crowd was small for the whole show, they were packed up front for the headliners. Agnostic Front showed why they are still a force to be reckoned with, pounding out tune after tune. When they played "Crucify," the place went nuts. Fist shaking and crowd chanting brought the noise level to deafening and it didn't let up at all. They still have the blend of metal and punk, though I don't think you can call it "crossover" anymore. Many of us older folks in attendance were pleasantly surprised to see the young bucks singing along to more songs than us. It's good to see kids who know the roots. They finished up pretty fast, taking little to no breaks between songs and then split the stage in true pro form. The only thing I would've like to have seen at this show was more people. I know it's hard to get a turnout at Chico shows, but c'mon. It's Monday night, summer time, Agnostic Front for only $10. Put down the bong for a few hours and go support your friends, it's better than renting The Perfect Storm.

– Marcus Dorin
– Photo by Myles Stenger

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