the Vandals & Audio Karate

When I got to The Brick Works, I was happy to see that the house was pretty packed, and the majority of the crowd seemed enthusiastic. However things started to go downhill from there. Much to my dismay, and to the disappointment of many in attendance, Tsunami Bomb was forced to cancel due to muscle spasms suffered by guitarist Mike Griffen the night before that sent him to the hospital. According to the band’s Web site, Mike was able to rejoin the tour the following evening. Hopefully Tsunami Bomb will be able to pass through Chico again soon.
Despite their youthful energy, opening band Audio Karate, a four-piece punk band from Southern California, did not get a warm reception — a good-sized crowd standing on the floor remained largely motionless. I’m not sure what it was about Audio Karate that rubbed the audience the wrong way — while the band’s set wasn’t perfect, they played with a lot of heart and conviction. Regardless, Audio Karate was confronted with a few thrown objects, some spitting and a good deal of heckling, which made their performance seem rather uncomfortable. While I wasn’t overly impressed, I did think the band deserved a little better.
In the interim between the two bands, fans, a good number of whom wearing Vandals merchandise, shoehorned themselves into every available inch of floor space at The Brick Works. The eager crowd waited in anticipation, myself included. Luckily, the Vandals did not disappoint.
As soon as they hit the stage, the Vandals owned it, and as the first chords of their opening song were struck, the crowd jumped into action. Whether they were playing old favorites like “Pat Brown” and “Live Fast Diarrhea” or cuts like “The Unseen Tears of the Albacore” and “My Brain Tells My Body” off their latest album, Internet Dating Super Studs, the Vandals induced punk rock sing-alongs and fevered moshing. Despite tossing often hilarious taunts at the crowd and each other, the band exuded professionalism, commanding a tight sound and presence that spoke of their years of experience — especially Josh Freese, who is one of the better drummers I’ve seen perform live. The Vandals’ set didn’t reach its peak till the end, closing with “And Now We Dance,” “Anarchy Burger” and “My Girlfriend’s Dead.”
Before exiting the stage completely, the Vandals “returned” to play an extended version of “I Have A Date” as an encore. Frontman Dave Quackenbush strapped on a guitar and relinquished lead vocal duties to guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, who thrashed around wildly, climbed the railing at the front of the stage to lean out over the crowd, chased Quakenbush around the venue and scaled The Brick Works’ towering, precariously balanced P.A. speakers. After watching the Vandals tear it up for over an hour, the crowd was still left wanting more.
– James Barone
– Photo by Alyssa Starkey

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