Anthrax at Club Nokia - October 22, 2011

As published in Rukus magazine:

http://www.rukusmag.com/2011/1111/concert_review_anthrax.html

There are concerts, and there are experiences.  A concert can best be described as a formal affair, where performers stand on an elevated stage, and an audience sits or stands in a designated area to watch and listen to a performance.  An experience, on the other hand, has little to do with the formal, and everything to do with the visceral.  Such was the case on October 22nd, when legendary thrash-metal band Anthrax invaded Los Angeles with a ferocious concert at downtown’s 2300-capcity Club Nokia.

It’s been 30 years since Anthrax first got together.  Despite many line-up changes, the quintet has always stayed strong and alive.  The great news is that the definitive Anthrax line-up is now back in place:  Scott Ian on guitar, Frank Bello on bass, Charlie Benante on drums, Rob Caggiano on lead guitar, and Joey Belladonna on lead vocals.  Better still, Anthrax upped the ante this year by unleashing a brand new album called WORSHIP MUSIC, considered by many as their best album ever.

The lights went down at 10:20pm.  The drone of “Worship” slowly crept in…warning the crowd about what was about to happen.  Like lightning, Anthrax exploded on stage with a double-shot of WORSHIP MUSIC tracks: the barbaric “Earth on Hell” and the forceful throbbing sound of “Fight ‘Em Till You Can’t.”  The music pounded you in the face with its hard and fast rhythm, beating you into submission.  It was wickedly awesome, and Anthrax was just warming up.

To mosh, or not to mosh, that is the question.  For stuffed shirts like me, not so much, yet for many loose-limbed fans, moshing and bodysurfing at an Anthrax show is a must.  On classic songs like “Caught in a Mosh”, the pit area in front of the stage was in full-mosh swing.  Men and women alike walked around in circles…pushing and shoving each other in a rough, tribal bonding session.  It was an incredible sight to behold.

Before performing their 1985 classic “Madhouse,” Joey Belladonna yelled out “I’m lovin’ this place man, this is our first time here.  We’re back 30 years man!  Anthrax is alive motherf*ckers!”   Belladonna gave off a warm, friendly, appreciative vibe throughout the concert, and his vocals were fantastic.  Scott Ian rocked loud and hard, giving everything he had to the music.  Rob Caggiano’s stoic presence was contrasted with his wicked and wild guitar solos.  Frank Bello hung low and high as he prowled the stage with his deep bass playing.  Charlie Benante was the unsung hero of the night, as he pounded out crazy fast rhythms on his double-bass drums.

The moshers went wild when Anthrax broke out the 1987 AMONG THE LIVING classic “Indians.” The pit area soon turned into a violent storm…a tornado of bodies crashing into each other.  When the moshing got way out of control, Scott Ian stopped the band.  One thought that perhaps he was going to ask the crowd to calm down, yet that would have been foolish (this was an Anthrax concert after all).  Instead, Scott Ian applauded the moshers for how much they rocked!  Unfortunately though, this would not be the last time Anthrax had to stop the show.

The encore began pleasantly enough with “Eflnikufesin (N.F.L.),” yet when the band launched into “Metal Thrashing Mad” (from Anthrax’s first album FISTFUL OF METAL), Joey Belladonna was knocked over by a giant, 250-pound security guard.  You see, a fan somehow made his way onto the stage, and Belladonna gleefully walked over to greet him.  Yet the security guard mistook Belladonna for a stage-crasher, and tackled him hard and fast to the ground.  The band stopped the song.  Frank Bello was in a rage, and had to be held back as he screamed and yelled at the security men.  Scott Ian was furious, and walked up to the microphone to publically blast the security people for not recognizing the fact that Joey Belladonna was in the band.  

Belladonna eventually got up on his own, though he was in pain.  A pro through and through, Belladonna suggested picking up “Metal Thrashing Mad” where they left off.  Yet it was clear he needed a break, so they abandoned the song, and Belladonna went behind the drums to play percussion with Charlie Benante on a one-minute instrumental version of “Refuse/Resist”…a 1993 song from Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultra.  

To close out the night, Anthrax sealed their domination over the crowd with another AMONG THE LIVING classic: ”I Am The Law”…a fitting song for the night.  There was no doubt that Anthrax was judge, jury and executioner for the evening.  The band slayed their new converts with pure metal mayhem, and reminded the old fans that they haven’t lost any of their edge.  As proven at Club Nokia, Anthrax are back in their prime…and as heavy as they’ve ever been.

The Naked & Famous at the Music Box - October 17, 2011

As published in Rukus magazine:

http://www.rukusmag.com/2011/1111/concert_review_the_naked_and_famous.html


Appearing before a sold-out crowd, the band appeared fully clothed and ready to go.  Had they not been standing on stage, it’s unlikely that anyone in the audience would know exactly who they were.  That said, The Naked And Famous were still able to live up to the bold, tongue-in-cheek spirit implied in the band’s name by performing a powerful 65-minute set at Hollywood's Music Box theater on October 17th.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, The Naked And Famous first came on the scene in 2008, where they released two EPs: THIS MACHINE and NO LIGHT.  In 2010, the quintet released their debut album, PASSIVE ME, AGGRESSIVE YOU, an inspired collection that included the band's first hit single, "Young Blood."  The Naked And Famous sound can best be described as dance-pop music, mixed with a rock and roll edge.   

By 10:40pm, the Music Box was packed to the gills.  There was very little room to move inside the theater.  Soon the lights went down, and there they were: Jesse Wood on drums, Aaron Short on keyboards, David Beadle on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards, Alisa Xayalith on lead vocals and keyboards, and Thom Powers on lead guitar, keyboards and lead vocals.  They appeared young, healthy, and perhaps a little bit shy…yet The Naked And Famous were full of energy, and committed themselves to each and every song.


Opening with the delicate keyboards sound of "The Ends," the band soon launched into their robust barnburner "A Wolf in Geek's Clothing."  Without so much of a breath, The Naked And Famous quickly moved on to "Punching in a Dream," "Spank," and then "The Sun."  Thom Powers lead the band like a pro, going from one song to the other like clockwork.  Jesse Wood pounded the drums with raw power and machine-like precision.  David Beadle would sway to and fro towards the back of the stage.  Aaron Short would hold steady on his keyboards, and Alisa Xayalith kept herself at bay.  With her hair planted firmly in front of her face for the majority of the show, Xayalith played timid with her body, yet was free and forthcoming with her strong vocals.

Neither Thom Powers nor Alisa Xayalith spoke much to the crowd that night; they preferred to keep their focus primarily on the music alone.  The two singers also choose to not hog the spotlight from their bandmates (when does that ever happen?).  For the most part, Powers and Xayalith stayed close to their keyboards…rarely letting their presence stand out from the band as a whole.
After performing "Bells" and "Frayed," Thom Powers introduced the upbeat, dance track "All of This" as the first song The Naked And Famous played when they first got together all those years ago.  Like many songs that evening, the band infused "All of This" with a strength and excitement not found on the original recording.  The crowd picked up on this right away; some danced and even sang along to the song word-for-word.

However, for the most part the packed crowd offered little in the way of enthusiasm for what was happening on stage.  Before playing "Young Blood," the final song of the evening, Thom Powers remarked, "You're a bit quiet this time around."  He then invited the audience to sing along to the song's catchy chorus of "yeah-e, yeah-e, yeah-e, yeah!"  Fortunately, the audience happily complied…coming to life for the first time all evening.  It's a shame that The Naked And Famous did not make more of an effort earlier to engage the crowd, yet all's well that ends well.

…and The Naked And Famous have done well.  They’re young and innocent enough to still approach their music (and their audience) with a sense of joy, naiveté, experimentation, and wonder.  Perhaps they could use a little more education when it comes to live performance, yet that does not take away from the great things the band has to offer.  They may not have conquered the world yet, but don’t worry; The Naked And Famous are just getting started...