Ballistics, The Briefs, Fabulous Disaster & Inflatable Supermodel

I arrived at Riff Raff 15 minutes late, which turned out to be 15 minutes early, as the club was still sparsely populated. With show time eminent, it didn't seem like there would be much of a crowd - it was a Monday night after all. However, as the opening band, Inflatable Supermodel, took the stage, people began to file in.
Inflatable Supermodel charged the growing, receptive crowd with a haphazard collection of crude and bouncy punk tunes. Frontman Joe Manente took command of the stage - which spilled out on to the top of the bar - prowling around the club with a wireless microphone and exuding a maniacal energy. He bellowed plenty of "yeahs," "heys" and lyrics about sex - be it in the back seats of cars ("Back Seat Story") or of the anal variety with sorority girls ("The Ripper," which stood out as the crowd favorite). The band followed suit behind him, ravenously chewing through each number. What the band lost in spit and polish, they made up for in presence and intensity and managed to pull off a strong opening set.
By the time San Francisco's all-female four-piece, Fabulous Disaster, took the stage, Riff Raff was pretty packed - it seemed more like a weekend crowd than that of a Monday night. On the eve of their latest album's release (Panty Raid! on Pink & Black / Fat Wreck Chords), lead vocalist Laura Litter announced that this would be her group's first show in Chico. At first, the mood in the room was pensive, but by the end of the second song, it was close to rapturous as fists pumped in the air and bodies bounced to the feverish rhythms. Fab D's infectious hooks and unwavering pop-punk energy - driven by Litter's and guitarist Lynda Mandolyn's energized harmonies and Sally Gess' tight drumming - translated beautifully in the live setting, especially in songs like "Short Fuse" and their set's closer, "Next Big Joy Ride." The crowd howled its appreciation, and the band seemed genuinely surprised by the warm reception from Chico's punk faithful.
The crowd was still buzzing as The Briefs took the stage. Though they had a tough act to follow and were forced to pause early in their set because of technical problems, The Briefs performed well and lived up to their name, tearing through their repertoire Ramones-style, packing an impossible number of songs into their allotted time. Each member of the band performed lead vocalist duties, and their music seemed to be a healthy mix of punk, new wave and brazen rock 'n' roll. The crowd began to dwindle as their performance wore on, but most hung around and those who did were definitely rewarded.
Rounding out a strong bill were Chico's own Ballistics, who probably would have been better served performing earlier in the night. The room had really started to empty out after the previous set, and Ballistics' brand of rambunctious hardcore punk didn't seem to be enough to keep the majority's interest. I watched the most of their set from the window outside as the band raged on - playing hard, fast and very loud - for an appreciative few, bringing a good night of music to a cacophonous end.

- James Barone
- Photos by Alyssa Starkey

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