An evening of Amebix
Check back at this space in December, and I'm pretty sure that I will have ranked Amebix as my "Show Of The Year", or at the very least in my top three. Yeah, it's only January, and I will probably hit AT LEAST another 40-50 shows this year, but Holy Fuck, Amebix just blew me away last night.
They may not have been the loudest band I have ever seen, but Amebix may very well have been the heaviest. The thunderous bass and evil snarl of Rob Miller would have made Cronos of Venom whimper into a corner, while the plodding guitar of Stig just chugged away like a locomotive heading straight for your fucking face. If I had to pick a high point of their set it would have to be "Axeman", which was like Celtic Frost, Crass, Mötorhead, and Discharge all forged into a giant wrecking ball. Unfortunately it was also the song which I decided to bail from my spot against the barricade, because the punks were starting to go a bit nuts, and as the beers, limbs ,and entire bodies started flying, I was beginning to fear for my camera. I've stuck it out through some pretty violent shows through the years, but decided to use some common sense for this one, and got the hell outta Dodge.
As I watched the rest of the set {which also included Jello Biafra on stage for some backing vox on "Largactyl"} from the back of the room with a Newcastle in hand, I couldn't help but feel a bit of a sense of comradery in the air. As stupid as that may sound, there was a vibe in the place last night that is unfortunately absent from most of the shows I attend these days. It felt like everyone who was there was a genuine fan, and had their eyes glued to the stage knowing that they were witnessing something special. There was no posing or "holier than thou" attitudes, which is rare here in San Francisco, especially at a punk rock show. Without getting all emotional and shit, it was a pretty damn special evening, and I was stoked to be part of it. Be sure to also check out reviews by friends Umlaut and Crow.
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