It was my first time seeing Paint It Black on Saturday, November 5th, and I was excited as fuck. They've been a personal favorite of mine since earlier this year and I had been anticipating this show for weeks. It was at NYC's infamous punk/hardcore community center, ABC No Rio, which provided a great atmosphere. The show was set to start at 3, but didn't actually get going until about 4:30.
First up was Louisville, Kentucky's Lords. I had only heard this band through reviews and an MP3 off the Jade Tree site, which gave me a good idea of what i was to expect. They set up huge Marshall stacks and played a seemingly short set of chaotic, heavy, metal-inspired hardcore. There was also plenty of banter from frontman Chris Owens ranging from social to religious issues. I'd say my only problem with their set was that I couldn't hear much of the vocals, but that might have just been because I was standing near the back of the room while they played.
Up next was a New Jersey band called Sparkle Motion, who were supposed to go on first but ran into some trouble commuting to New York. This band is definitely worth checking out if they are playing anywhere near you. They ripped through an impressive, passionate set full of fast, melodic hardcore punk anthems. They were extremely charismatic and had amazing energy, with their guitarist being the only one in the band wearing a shirt by the end of their set. Their singer had fantastic stage presence, moving around the stage with an animal magnetism reminiscent of punk heroes like Jello Biafra or even Darby Crash. I'd definetely suggest checking them out at their Myspace page.
I had left to go grab some food and came back halfway through Ed Gein's set. I was completely unfamiliar with this band and was told by some kid in ABC's backyard that "when they play, people's hair fucking stands on end." I have to say though, I was rather apathetic to them. They had a heavy, grindcore/metal-type sound which, though isn't my cup of tea, is understandable as to why people like them. They did however close their set with a cover of my favorite Nirvana song, "Breed," which kicked much ass.
After about 20 minutes of socializing and kicking around a soccer ball in the yard, Paint It Black were finally up. Like I said before, I had only got into this band earlier this year, but since then have become a rabid fan and have fallen in love with both of their records. I'm completely convinced that anything Dan Yemin touches turns to gold. Anyway, enough of that.
PIB set up and ripped right into the title track of their first full-length, CVA. They were quick to get the crowd pumping fists and singing along to Dr. Dan's lyrics. The crowd got the only pit of the night started up and there was plenty of mic shares and shout-alongs. They tore through a good mix of songs from both CVA and this year's Paradise. They were extremely on spot and the set was full of banter between singer Dan Yemin and bassist Andy Nelson on issues like media control, sexism, and animal rights. The band closed with the anthemic sing-along, "Memorial Day," and left everybody in the room pleased. From what I remember the set list was, in no particular order:
- CVA
- Atticus Finch
- The New Brutality
- Pink Slip
- 365 (live debut)
- Why Film the Carnage?
- Labor Day
- Burn the Hive
- Exit Wounds
- Election Day
- Head Hurts, Hands on Fire
- Void
- Cannibal
- Womb Envy
- Angel
- Memorial Day