While half of Los Angeles was drowning in sweat from the Coachella desert heat, a savvier portion of the city spent last Sunday night at DTLA’s Teragram Ballroom, where beloved punk icon Laura Jane Grace and her new band the Mississippi Medicals came to kick up a ruckus with Rodeo Boys and Australia’s Alex Lahey.
I arrived at the venue just as Rodeo Boys began their set. While familiar at first, it wasn’t until the band’s singer reminded the audience they had previously played in the city with The Menzingers that I realized I had seen them before. I was kind of shocked I didn’t remember, as their set was superb. Exhibiting tight harmonies on punk-leaning tracks, as well as savvy melodic choices on other songs that ventured into the poppy grunge sound of bands like Hole, they definitely inspired me to put their latest album Junior (produced by one of The Menzingers) on my to-listen to list.
I had no doubts about my fandom for Alex Lahey, and was very excited to know she was on the bill for the show. I had previously seen her at the Troubadour in 2019, so I had some expectations set. Lahey delivers a fervent blend of pop-punk, and Go-Go‘s style pop rock, with her songwriting coming out strongest during the set with catchy bops like “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me” and “On the Way Down”. She also played one of the two new songs currently released exclusively on her Bandcamp page, with profits going to Trans Lifeline until the end of April. Lahey and her band were perfectly in-sync, powering through her set with a glorious energy, and showed more grit and heaviness than some might expect from Lahey at times. I was only disappointed that my favorite songs of hers, “On My Way” and the sax-fueled “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself” didn’t make the set-list. Next time I suppose.
Laura Jane Grace has had quite a journey in life and music, to say the least. From her early days as a solo folk-punk artist bashing out ramshackle tunes as Against Me!, to that group’s evolution into one of punk rock’s finest mainstream bands, to Grace’s public transition and exploration of her journey in iconic songs like “True Trans Solo Rebel” and eventual solo career and forming of new bands like The Devouring Mothers and her latest project, the Mississippi Medicals. While not every project was touched during her blistering set, Grace still covered a whole lot of her incredible career in a short time.
Her set began with her more recent solo material, with power-pop bops like “Hole In My Head”, “Birds Talk Too” and “Supernatural Possession” showcasing Replacements-inspired riffs and catchy melodies packed into songs that never overstay their welcome. Her new band (which includes Grace’s wife, scene-stealer Paris Campbell Grace), held down the fort admirably as Grace journeyed swiftly through song after song, never letting the momentum die. While Grace remains a political firebrand (“I’m Not a Cop”), she dove just as deeply into tracks addressing her mental health (“Manic Depression”, “All Fucked Out”).
The audience clearly was a mix of old school Against Me! fans and modern LJG fans, but there was still plenty of joy from fans for these newer tracks. But there’s no denying the roar of joy as Grace launched into the first A.M. song, “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong”. That rambunctious tune got the old school fans moving and joining in an epic sing-along that continued with “Don’t Lose Touch”, “Baby, I’m an Anarchist” and later tracks like the previously mentioned “True Trans Soul Rebel” and “Black Me Out”. I was personally happy Grace included the underrated single “Crash Landing” and one of my favorites, “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” (one of Grace’s best showcases as a true storyteller in the punk genre).
Interspersed into this Against Me! set was Grace’s latest, controversial single “Your God (God’s Dick)”, which had right-wingers enraged after Grace played the fantastic song at a Bernie Sanders rally. It was clearly a new audience favorite as well, as both old and new fans were singing along to the biting track. On the other end of the musical spectrum (but just as poignant) was “The Ocean”, the song where Grace first openly hinted at her closeted trans life. Musically, the song is so unique in the Against Me! catalogue, and a good reminder that Grace’s songwriting abilities extend far beyond simple three-chord punk and folk tunes.
The band closed out the show with their The Sidekicks cover, “Baby, Baby”, Against Me!‘s first hit “Thrash Unreal”, and finally the fan-favorite sing-along “Sink, Florida, Sink”, which had everyone joining in. Like any person who has been a fan of the band for over twenty years, there were songs I would have liked to hear in the set (“Cliche Guevara”, “Joy”, “White People for Peace”) but as I’ve been seeing Grace play since before their transition, I’ve been able to hear those songs before, and I love some of her newer material that I got to hear for the first time live, so I have no complaints.
Catch Laura Jane Grace & The Mississippi Medicals on tour near you, and hear her post-Against Me! work here.
The Indy Review 