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Blacklisted / Verse / The Carrier

live in New York
2008
live show

Review by: Brian
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Published on April 4th 2008

Having missed locals Probable Cause and Reclaim the Crown (unassuming acts I've previously witnessed), the Carrier was just getting into the swing of things as we walked into the Knitting Factory's Tap Bar area. I'll be honest: I found this band's demo promising, but I was shocked when I learned of Deathwish, Inc. inking them. However, they put on an impressive, intense performance here and garnered a hell of a reaction, with a number of kids gatering up front and shouting back lyrics. Perhaps it's fully warranted; granted, I haven't yet heard their full-length, One Year Later, released this past Christmas Day by Rock Vegas. They already have a followup 7", No Love Can Save Me, planned for release on Deathwish, which they played a song or two from. It's not a major change -- just more of their well-crafted, midtempo metallic hardcore in the tradition of Shai Hulud. Some awful thug mosh was stirring, but the band sounded great and the set was enjoyable.

The crowd movement practically died altogether for Verse though, which was a little disappointing in the sense that really nothing was happening at all. Maybe it was that, or the either extremely broken-up nature of the set (see below), but something seemed to be missing. Still, the band was pretty good and even threw in songs old (2004's Rebuild) and new (the upcoming Aggression). Though Verse were taking frequent breaks between songs, the guitarists were often toying with their instruments, playing soft, melancholic chords that helped establish a little more continuity. I fully expected Sean Murphy -- one of the more socially and politically conscious as well as outspoken figures of the genre -- to condemn the small swelling of violence that was beginning to occur at the show. After maybe two or three songs, he did just that by drawing a contrast between "the [metaphorical] fight out there" -- pointing to the doors -- and the fighting inside that shouldn't exist at all. While I have to give him major props for a rare instance -- in this scene, at least -- of preaching to the choir-less, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears. A fight between two females broke out maybe one song later, supposedly based on a drink being knocked out of one's hand. Despite the unified sing-alongs that were multiple enough to partially obfuscate his view, the frustrating look that spread across Murphy's face when he noticed the fight was really disheartening.

Set list (9:20-9:47):

Rebuild
Hard to Breathe
new
Weather to a Stone
Lost
From Anger and Rage
Salvation (new)
Tear Down These Walls
Follow. Conform. Repeat.

Only 18 minutes later, a humorously George Hirsch waded out onto the front of the stage, not unlike another Phiadelphia figurehead. His in-between banter was, naturally, a little more economical than Murphy's, and it better allowed the band to knock out their brief blasts of balls-out intensity.

However, the meatheads reigned here supremely; the Tap Bar became a rec room of crowdpunches, confrontational cartwheels and "moshing on the edge," eventually culminating in a legit fight in the midst of "Eye for an Eye," which the band paused to allow a "resolving" of sorts. This has sort of become the Christian right of hardcore: Lots of sensible hardcore fans decry the sort of behavior, but it's so united and volatile that it seemingly can't be stopped. Is legitimately liking the music a dying trait?

But Blacklisted still played quite well, and while they couldn't quite capture the experimental flourishes of their new album, Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God (actually released that very day), the songs translated admirably. Hirsch's desperate declaration of "I just want to love myself" felt like it hit new depths of emotional revealableness with him standing in front of you and looking so vulnerable. And as expected, "Memory Layne" was fantastic; the speeding up of its first half makes it even more compelling and dynamic.

Set list (10:05-10:38):

Circuit Breaker
Ivory Tower
I Am Weighing Me Down
Long Way Home
Finding Faith
Tough Test
Eye for an Eye
Burning Monk
Tourist
Matrimony
?
Canonized
Memory Layne

So while select members of the NYHC scene (or beyond?) seemed to completely disregard some famous advisable words, the last three bands bore few detrimental qualities themselves.

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Posted by givemeamuseumandillfillit on 2008-04-07 19:07:47

"You know who my favorite guys is? It's the guy that walks around the empty pit with a HUGE shit eating grin on his face with his eyes glued to the stage yet his body is still turning and pacing around. You know who I'm talking about? The guy smiling so huge yet his shoulders are pulled all back like he's ready to destroy something and walking around like he owns the place? Such douche bags."

I love that guy! It's even better if he wears very short sport shorts without socks and football shoes. Funniest guy ever, i want more of those.

Posted by nick_heitman on 2008-04-07 18:07:17

and WHAT'S THE DEAL with hardcore kids being unable to greet friends without a joking punch/push and/or headlock?

haha, i was at the baltimore show and my friend put me in a headlock to say "hey". funny shit.

trapped under ice killed it though. best fucking band there.

Posted by holy_balls on 2008-04-06 03:41:47

I like watching girls in the circle pit. Alot of boob bouncing going on.

Posted by thus_spoke_sean on 2008-04-05 14:35:29

whatever happened to a good old fashioned circle pit or just straight up freaking out?

oh man! i love freaking out! hahaha seriously though.

Posted by defianceohioequalslove on 2008-04-05 05:19:19
My Score:

To the comment below...

Bwahahahahahahahahaha I didn't think anybody else in the world knew of the movie "They Live". Score is for that movie!

Posted by tenwestchaser on 2008-04-05 01:10:30

You know who my favorite guys is? It's the guy that walks around the empty pit with a HUGE shit eating grin on his face with his eyes glued to the stage yet his body is still turning and pacing around. You know who I'm talking about? The guy smiling so huge yet his shoulders are pulled all back like he's ready to destroy something and walking around like he owns the place? Such douche bags.

and whoever commented about the kids showing off to their buddies and scene chicks by greeting each other with hits etc....you couldn't be more right. It's also very unimpresive every time.

The fucked up thing is, its the same crowd no matter where you go. Whether I'm in Indianapolis, or Detroit or even New Jersey. Its the same everywhere. Who is manufacutring these fucking douche nozzles? Maybe it's like that movie "They Live" and they are aliens sent to destroy good live music. If that's the case then I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubble gum.

Posted by Ass_Pirate on 2008-04-05 00:51:30

I wear cowboy boots to hardcore shows now. So when ol' douche fuck in the Death Before Dishonor shirt with the 2nd grader "buzz cutt" spinkicks into me, I can return the favor. And I aim right for the asshole.....WHOOOPOOWW!

Posted by asxyouxwish on 2008-04-04 20:06:41

i just can't get down. that steez is too exclusionary/look at me you guys! kinda shit. whatever happened to a good old fashioned circle pit or just straight up freaking out?

this whole choreographed stuff is corny and inevitablely leads to lookers on getting unneccesarily wrecked. that's the kinda shit that starts fights.

Posted by LookBackAndLaugh on 2008-04-04 20:02:46

Yeah, I wouldn't say that the two-stepping is a new thing/problem/however-you-see-it. It's an old NYHC thing. Just look at the Sick of It All video for "Step Down".

Posted by inagreendase on 2008-04-04 16:42:16

This was way beyond two-step/windmill/what have you, though. That I don't really have any problem with, especially if it's well within the confines of the circle.

When you're going up to people that are just standing there on the outside of the space and intentionally punching them is where I draw the line. Not that this is a new thing.

Posted by sugarfull on 2008-04-04 15:00:01

I think the whole two-step mosh thing became popular because when a lot of slower bands began to emerge, they attracted a lot of kids who got really into the slow parts but couldn't get into the fast parts; this is really stupid because hardcore is supposed to be fast music that people go crazy to. Now its just kids standing around when the band plays a fast part, and then suddenly breaking into dance during the slow parts, and its stupid.

Does this make any sense?

Posted by thus_spoke_sean on 2008-04-04 13:59:15

couldn't agree more. had some of the same thoughts as i got kicked and punched in the back at converge other night.

Posted by asxyouxwish on 2008-04-04 13:36:48
My Score:

bands were great in baltimore, particularly blacklisted, but seriously the stupid two step windmill shit has got to go.

and WHAT'S THE DEAL with hardcore kids being unable to greet friends without a joking punch/push and/or headlock?

love the music, hate the kids.