The Pink Spiders, Cruiserweight, and Mondo Primo
Walter’s On Washington
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
Leave it up to me: I would have to work the day job on a Sunday night when I’m supposed to be covering a show. This is what happens when you have yet to be able to follow your passion on a full-time basis – you have to find some way to pay the bills, because the dream can’t quite do it yet. So, after a (thankfully!) brisk six-hour shift making coffee, I headed over to my favorite dirty local dive to mingle with some punks, both young and old, while watching three energetic pop-punk quartets ply their trade on stage.
Though they were technically the third band playing this night, the first band I had the pleasure to view was Mondo Primo, a delightful melodic punk act comprised of two guitarists (who also did the bulk of the singing, a thumping bass player, and a solid drummer. Overall, the act was fairly straight-forward, but far from boring: the guys had great chemistry, joking and joshing with each other and the crowd throughout their set, and doing so in a fashion that evoked more than a few smiles. Their overall sound, while not that complex, was rather enjoyable and it was quite evident that they love what they do as a band. The last third of their set was definitely a bit more raucous than the earlier two-thirds, as the music became a bit deeper, darker, and more growling, while the band let their sense of fun rule their performance.
Up next was Austin, TX-based Cruiserweight, touring in support of their new LP, entitled Big Bold Letters. Fronted by a big-voice-in-a-little-package named Stella, the group tore through their set with a brand of kinetic pop-punk that gave fresh life and legs to the tracks from the aforementioned new album. While the group’s musical stylings come across as headstrong and upbeat, it’s Stella’s engaging, pretty voice that consistently gives them a solid pop foundation and provides true definition for the band. Most of the songs played during Cruiserweight’s time on stage came from Big Bold Letters, and, from the amount of folks singing along at the top of their voices, it seemed that the band’s fans had long since obtained the new record and were quite pleased with the songs.
But the end of the night, the climax of the show, came during The Pink Spider’s set. Clad in all manner of new-wave-meets-emo garb – tight, striped, colored pants with form-fitting shirts and more – the group wrought its electric punk fervor to a truly excited (though somewhat small) crowd. The band managed to balance their over-the-top persona with some tongue-in-cheek self-awareness, and was quite unapologetic regarding the format of their music and stage show. These boys displayed their pop-punk roots loudly and proudly! My highlight from the night came when the band, egged on by drinks and encouragement provided Mondo Primo and Cruiserweight, ripped through a tremendously bold and ballsy cover of “Helter Skelter,” followed by a crazy (yet hilariously failed) attempt to pull off “Free Bird.” The Pink Spiders proved to be excellent showmen and capped off a great night of music.