Punk music is associated with many things, but morality is not always the first that comes to mind. The essence of punk, however, lies in a rejection of the undesirable conventions of society, whatever they may be. Titus Andronicus' SF show last Sunday strayed away from normative punk elements in so many ways, down to the promptness of the band, their early finish and lack of encore before closing up shop, but it was a punk show regardless.
It is fittingly punk that Titus Andronicus are here to revive a sense of ethics within us all. Early on in the night, Patrick Stickles (lead vox, guitar) declared “Fuck the devil. Fuck evil. Do only good,” succinctly summing up the band’s persona. Patrick’s songwriting nods heavily to what he told me was “the most ethical band of all time”, Crass. He even has their logo tattooed on his right arm to remind himself of the importance of doing good with his dominant hand.
The real star of the night, however, was Amy Klein, who spat out rambling guitar hooks and dumbfounding electric violin solos. Drawing inspiration from girl punk bands and noise rock like Vivian Girls, she transformed her childhood music lessons into something truly remarkable on stage.
The rest of the band performed admirably while Patrick grappled with tension induced by his SSRI medication for his anxiety and heightened sensitivity. He confided in the audience about his apprehension and then proceeded to perform a heartwrenching version of “No Future: Part 3: Escape from No Future”.
So many mysteries were unraveled on stage and after the show, down to the band’s moniker. According to Patrick, they chose to name themselves after the lesser known Shakespearean play because they feel that, like the play, their music grapples with reconciliation between the cerebral and the visceral elements of choice in this world. Right on.
you can see me raise my arms to take a picture at :06 XD
Titus Andronicus - Richard II [mp3]
This band has so much damn integrity and, more than anyone out there today, deserve to be heard and seen and loved. Check them out.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this! I've seen many "professional" musicians, but these folks played (to quote one review) as if their lives depended on it. I was actually touched by the SSRI disclosure; I also got a kick out of Patrick saying that he didn't know what the first "S" was, and half of the crowd going, "Selective!"
they did indeed. incredible stuff.
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