It’s rare when the passion and energy from a band is overshadowed by their fans, but this often seemed the case during last Sunday’s packed show at the Teragram Ballroom.
And this isn’t to say that punk rock vets Samiam and The Flatliners didn’t tackle the stage with rip-roaring sets and fervor – it seemed more that their fans had been starved of them for so long that they had a lot of love (and requests) they couldn’t stop shouting out. At times annoyingly so.
The Canadian punks The Flatliners admitted it had been a while since they had played Los Angeles (joking it was due to the Dodgers beating their Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series). But they were back finally, in support of their excellent new album Cold World. Seriously – this is an album of bangers after bangers. If I wasn’t a poor writer, this would be added to my vinyl collection swiftly. And they imbued their set with a handful of these new songs, along with classics from their 20+ year back catalog.
Openers “Stolen Valour,” “Performative Hours” and “Eulogy” were a strong triple punch of melody and energy. Affable frontman Chris Cresswell’s vocals have a range (it’s like a mash-up of Brendan Kelly and Chris McCaughan of The Lawrence Arms‘ voices in one person) that lets him move from raspy, riotous fury to sugary, pop sweetness. Scott Brigham and Jon Darbey backed him with counter melodies, slick bass lines and melodic guitar lines, while Paul Ramirez kept the rhythms tight.
Now as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, the band had some BIG fans at the show that night. One person yelled out “What the fuck” after a song, clearly having had his mind blown and spewing out love and admiration for the band, which Cresswell met with surprise and humor. Then there were fans screaming out (often inaudibly) song requests, Scott’s name, and other hard to decipher words of goodwill.
While the band took these mostly in stride, brushing off requests by stating they clearly came to the show with a plan so as not to be fumbling around, even they seemed to get irked by one obnoxiously persistent (likely drunk) fan’s continued shouting at them throughout the set. But being the professionals they are, they pushed on through and kept the more well-behaved fans entertained with a run of catchy punk bops.
While I have been listening to the band since 2009, I only really became a passionate fan of the band this year from hearing more and more of their new songs, so I’m not super familiar with their older tracks, but the hooks were so strong and the band’s stage presence so engaging, I was still invested throughout. New tracks I knew like “Good, You?” and “Inner Peace” had me singing along, while older songs like the excellent “Monumental,” “Rat King” and closer “Count Your Bruises” were soon queued up in my playlist to become more familiar with.
I’ve been pretty effusive about my love for Samiam in the past, and was thrilled to finally see them live opening for The Ataris a few years ago. But knowing I was going to get to see the band headline a set had me very excited that evening. And of course, the band did not disappoint, playing a set featuring tracks from throughout their 30+ year career. Much like The Flatliners, the band had some die-hards in the audience shouting out requests (though more respectfully than the one guy I mentioned earlier), and frontman Jason Beebout returned the love with quips and kept the train rolling along, hitting the ground running with “Lake Speed” and “Clean Up the Mess.”
The interplay between Beebout and co-founding member Sergio Loobkoff felt almost psychic, with the two trading looks and unspoken signals more than even talking. Loofkoff’s riffs are some of the catchiest, at times sanguine and at others times melancholic, in all of punk rock. While he may not get as effusive with his solos as J. Mascis, he has the same inspired melodicism as the Dinosaur Jr. frontman, and his skills pair perfectly with Beebout’s singing, which I think is some of the most soulful in punk rock. As he sang “Factory” and “Crystallized,” the emotion in each track felt multiplied tenfold thanks to his powerful delivery.
Props are of course also due to Sean Kennerly (guitar), Chad Darby (bass), and Colin Brooks (drums). Kennerly’s rhythm work and backing vocals heightened both Beebout and Loobkoff’s work, and Darby’s active playing and performance helped the show pop-off. And Brooks brought swagger and a healthy dollop of joy to the set as he played.
Being that Astray is one of my favorite albums of the 2000’s, the succession of songs played from that release was a highlight of the set. “Dull” remains one of the most moving songs in the band’s catalog, and had tears welling behind my eyes. I was equally excited that the band brought out the escapist daydream “Mexico” and break-up ballad “Mud Hill” which are also up there as some of my favorite songs of the band’s. But as mentioned, the band grabbed tracks from throughout their catalog, playing “El Dorado” with a pensive energy and “80 West” with a fervent energy.
While I was surprised the band left out their ska-tinged single “She Found You,” they still hit the end of their set hard, digging out their early 90’s jam “Capsized” to close out the set. I certainly felt emotionally spent by the end, having been singing and fist-pumping for the last hour and fifteen minutes. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Samiam are one of the most underrated bands in punk rock, and I won’t shut up about them until the world knows it.
While this was the final leg of their current tour, keep up with the band on their Instagram, and see them at the Fest in Florida this October. The Flatliners will be touring Europe this summer and then returning to the states this fall – see dates here.
The Indy Review 