Thank god and Timmy that the final day of Chaos in Tejas is a short one. Still recovering from last night’s afterparty I decided to duck out of the day shows and let the punks BBQ in peace. Instead I waited til the evening to make my way to Red Seven to see tough guy Boston hardcore band Rival Mob.
How tough were they? I think vocalist Brendan Radigan’s stage banter while talking about the crowd’s reaction best illustrates (it helps to imagine this in a Bostonian accent): It brings a single tear to my cheek but a tough-ass tear. One that will fuck you all up.
I guess that’s a tough-ass tattoo of Lucy on the guitar player’s leg.
Over at Moss Icon there were tears but they were a little less tough. The crowd was full of dudes losing their shit and a few of them may or may not have been crying. Moss Icon has never been for me and seeing them live didn’t change it, but you’ve got to respect how much dudes that love them really love them. By the way, I’m deliberately using dude as a masculine identifier because honestly, I just don’t know that many ladies who love them the way that a certain type of bookish intelligent proto-emo fanboy does.
This guy in the white hat was losing his shit. I snuck up front to take some pictures and when I accidentally blocked his view he just looked at me and shook his head, not in a resignedly manner, but in a scolding don’t-do-that sort of way. Since this was obviously way more important to him than it was to me, I yielded. I watched him make an intense series of rapturous facial expressions from the side of the stage instead.
Up next was Hank Wood and the Hammerheads at Red Seven. Fucking good times Brooklyn punx. Excellent detour and way tougher calf tattoos than Rival Mob.
I had major regrets about missing King Dude the night before so I went over the East Side to see TJ’s metal band cross. It’s as rad as he is which is pretty fucking rad. Just sayin.
Back at Red Seven I caught Ghoul. Musically I don’t have that much to say, it’s kind of a waste of time, like writing a serious review of a Gwar record. It’s a novelty band done by people who have much more serious bands and fuck it, I’m glad that they are having a good time and shared it with me. Better to leave this one to the visuals:
Yep, that’s a dude in a troll mask about to throw fake blood on everyone.
Yep, that’s my hand covered in fake blood.The congealed looking bits were just mostly dissolved tissue. There was so much in the surrounding stage area my arms and legs were covered in it by the end of the night.
I spare you the ass shot, but this dude was wearing very little underneath that apron.
The aftermath…
I decided to stick around to see Midnight again. You know why? Because they are fucking great. Jamie used to be in the excellent Cleveland thrash band Boulder. If you haven’t listened to them you should.
The crowd lost their fucking minds. I thought their set the previous day was great, but this one blew it away. The show was sold out again. Both Midnight shows were the only shows that I went to where people were being turned away.
Oh and this time he set shit on fire. It’s the little things that count.
Toxic Holocaust went on next and they were excellent again. My favorite part was these lovebirds in the front row.
Well that’s it. I’m covered in fake blood, dirt, and bruises and watched 33 bands play 37 different sets. I need a shower.
Day 4 Breakdown:
Shows attended – 3
Band count – 7
Bands watched – Rival Mob, Moss Icon, Hank Wood the Hammerheads, Cross, Ghoul, Midnight, and Toxic Holocaust
Set of the night – Midnight
Injuries sustained – aside from a super painful elbow to the tit none. Lots of blood though, all of it fake.
Previously: Chaos Daily Dispatch #4