Punk in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. Remember those glory days? Before Drive Thru Records signed their own death warrant with Universal and Victory Records got sued by almost their entire roster, punk used to rule the airwaves. From the arena-filling pop punk of Green Day and Blink-182 to the punk rock of Pennywise and Bad Religion (yes, I know these latter bands were around since the 80’s, but they were undeniably at the peak of their powers during this period), these were good times. Days when crowds were not 95% pre-pubescent girls (refer to last week’s All-Time Low gig for contemporary evidence of this), and the release of the yearly Warped Tour line-up was met with more “What?!?!?!” and less “Who???” (yeah yeah, maybe I’m out of touch, I know…). Anyway, glory days indeed.
Firmly nestled at the forefront of this scene was The Ataris, who released their seminal “Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits” record in 1999, and who find themselves in Montreal on this Wednesday evening playing this record in its entirety (therefore an absolute must-see gig in my world).
First up to accompany them this evening are Rigaud punkers Cirrhose et Cendrier, and just looking at them, I feel transported back in time to this bygone era already. Instead of stupid costumes and make-up, they’re wearing band shirts (Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold were spotted) and jeans; classic! Musically, they sounded like System Of A Down jamming with Dresden Dolls, with a sprinkling of Mad Caddies on top for good measure (is metal-ska cabaret a thing? It is now!). It was a relief to know I wasn’t the only one struggling to categorize them; frontman Henry of the next band, New Jersey’s Survay Says! calls them “a different band every 2 minutes”. Hard to argue with that. Made for a very fun 30 minutes, and a lively start to the evening.
Survay Says! are not so hard to categorize. From the first note, Less Than Jake sprang to mind, complete with trumpet, ska beats, and a singer who sounds a lot like Less Than Jake’s co-frontman Roger Lima. Whether or not you like Less Than Jake will go a long way toward determining whether you’ll like Survay Says! I do, so I did. A lot. Again, transportation back in time ensued. 30 minutes of old-school ska left everyone smiling, and clearly this band is creating some buzz, as 4 photographers appeared out of nowhere to snap away at these guys.
Tonight, though, is all about The Ataris, and their 1999 opus “Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits.” These kind of full-album shows seem like something The Ataris enjoy doing, having played So Long Astoria (their most commercially successful record) in its entirety on their last tour in 2014. Either that, or they serve to keep the funds up as the band continues to work on their 6-years-in-the-making new record “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.” The title was announced in 2009, but no sign of it yet; perhaps they want to give Chinese Democracy a run for its money.
Whatever the reason for the tour, the hundred or so who came were not to be disappointed. All 14 songs from the record are played over the course of a 65-minute set, though not in the same order as the record. The band launches into opening track Losing Streak, much to everyone’s delight, and by the time San Dimas High School Football Rules arrives 3 songs in, those in attendance are partying like its 1999 (good advice, thanks Prince). The roar of “HE’S BREAKING YOUR HEART!!” during the opening lines of Your Boyfriend Sucks sounds like the last 16 years never happened. On My Hotel Year, frontman Kris Roe begins the song solo, and the rest of the band lurches in mid-way through, and the song bursts into life. Life Makes No Sense immediately follows, yet another classic, and so the set goes, concluding with The Last Song I Will Ever Write About A Girl (complete with Kris shredding with a drumstick) and Broken Promise Ring, sung solo by Kris.
Constant requests for songs not on Blue Skies are received throughout, which are hastily declined, though not for lack of desire to do so; Kris later explains to me that the touring drummer only joined the band shortly before the tour, so only had time to learn this record. After finishing the main set, the band return for a 2-song encore of Skulls (a Misfits song) and In This Diary, their most commercially successful single. “Being grown up, isn’t half as fun as growing up,” Kris sings. After tonight’s blast from the past, we all appreciate those sentiments more than ever.
Setlist:
Losing Streak
Better Way
San Dimas High School Football Rules
1*5*96
Choices
Your Boyfriend Sucks
Angry Nerd Rock
My Hotel Year
Life Makes No Sense
Answer:
I Won’t Spend Another Night Alone
In Spite Of The World
The Last Song I Will Ever Write About A Girl
Broken Promise Ring
——————–
Skulls
In This Diary
Review & Photos – Simon Williams
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