Youth Of Today - September 19th - Den Bosch

Youth Of Today in 2010. I can't compare this show to the one they gave in Den Bosch in 1989. I didn't start going to 'bigger' hardcoreshows till '96. One of the first ones was in fact Shelter in the W2 in Den Bosch.

Since it was a sundaymatinee lots of people who told me they were going eventually cancelled, leaving Johan Reflections, my wife and me to hop in the Reflections van, drive to Den Bosch, unload the distro, set-up shop and go upfront to see This Routine Is Hell playing a tight set with lots of songs from 'The Verve Crusade'. It still beats me why everyone is all hyped on Ceremony and Trash Talk whereas this Dutch band has equally great songs but don't get that much attention.



Next up was the fastest raging Dutch hardcorepunk band around: Citizens Patrol. This band is everything you want in hardcore. They're as good as Dead Stop. Check them out. (To be honest I only caught a short glimpse of their set since I was behind the Reflections distro talking people into buying records. This also goes for the Spermbids. Though what I could hear from others these legendary Germans did a great job.)



Time for Youth Of Today to show they're still as vital as 20 years ago. Somehow I liked this set more than the one I saw in 2004. I was upfront and had fun singinalong to classics like 'Can't Close My Eyes', 'No More', 'Break Down The Walls', 'Disengage' etc.

Sammy ofcourse did a great job behind the drums. Porcell seemed to be enjoying himself and Ray entertained the audience with anecdotes from the past as well as his signature jumps. All in all a good show.




That's me upfront and singingalong.

All pics by Nous Davidse. See way more here.

We're not in this alone 2010

I'm no big fan of reunion shows and already saw Youth Of Today in 2000 or something like that. Still to see Youth Of Today perform in the venue were I saw my first real hardcoreshows is special. And it doesn't hurt that two of the best Dutch bands around right now are on the bill as well: Citizens Patrol and This Routine Is Hell.

I read somewhere that Tim 'Mouthpiece, Hands Tied, Double Cross' McMahon designed some new Youth of Today shirts for this tour so I'll check those out as well.

Take a staaaaannnnnnddd!!!

Polar Bear Club - March 1 - Den Bosch - show

I was really looking forward to this show ever since I heard about it somewhere last summer. The W2 club in Den Bosch is my cbgb's, anthrax, gilman or whatever cool club where you saw some of your best and early shows.

When I started listening to hardcore and punk in the mid nineties and I didn't have a driver license the W2 was the club I could go to by bike. So during that time I almost drove to Den Bosch every weekend to see bands like Shelter, Battery, Good Riddance, Mainstrike, Snapcase, H20, Warzone, AFI, Hands Tied, Ten Yard Fight, 7 Seconds, Lagwagon and many more.

Lately the venue isn't putting up that many hardcore shows but they made an exception for this package.

The venue wasn't packed like it used to be, but there was a nice and chilled out atmosphere with people just checking the bands and bopping their heads.

Title Fight were up first. Somehow this band reminds me of early Saves The Day and Lifetime. They have their roots in hardcore and play a sort of poppunk without being the next Good Charlotte.
The bassplayer and frontman moves like he is Porcell which is always cool in my book. I think they managed to warm up the crowd pretty well.

Next up were ShookOnes. Where I think there records get kind of boring after a while and I always put on Lifetime instead, I do have to admit they convinced me life.

The band sure knows how to play a tight set, though their mixture of hardcore and punk wasn't met by much approval from the crowd.

After the show I told myself I should listen to their records more often. And I'm saying it again now, since it didn't happen so far.

Extra points go to the very short shorts of one of the guitar players.

'Chasing Hamburg' by Polar Bear Club is one of my favorite records of 2009. Having missed the band on their tour with The Gaslight Anthem I was rather curious as to how I would like them on stage. Well they rock.

At some moment during their set I got the idea they're the punkrock version of Snapcase. They have the same kind of presence on stage. Both vocalists share the same kind of jumps.

Basically Polar Bear Club is a band that can easily become the next Rise Against. Meaning they can play on big festival stages one day and seem to give as much the following day in a small club. The 'scene' needs bands like this to get new people involved and interested in small shows. I need bands like this because they make great records, do good shows and keep me around and interested in new record instead of only glorifying the past.