NOFX w/ Pears and Useless I.D
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
11.03.16
Mohawks, dreadlocks, and leather wearing punk rockers filled Showbox SoDo. It was a hardcore night that included the Middle East’s most popular punk rock band Useless I.D, and legendary punk rock headliners NOFX.
First up were, Pears, a relatively fresh NOLA punk band. But don’t confuse the name for a fresh ripe pear you would expect to find in the organic section. They would be like a bitter pear – unpicked and left to freeze on the tree over winter. Cold and rotten. As hardcore as they come.
Before the first notes were played you could tell this was going to an intense show. Lead singer, Zach Quinn, came out shirtless and paced around the center of the stage. He was clearly not wanting to loose any momentum. It was quiet as the band prepared for the opening song before an explosive start. This hardcore punk band went from zero to one hundred in a tenth of a second and rarely dropped below 80% intensity throughout their set. Ferocious intentions were both entertaining and unpredictable. Quinn often swung the mic around and lifted the mic stand above his head.
During the second to last song of their set, Quinn used a different voice during the breakdown that sounded like Gollum from The Lord of The Rings. They ended their set song with a fast punk rock song that left the crowd slightly bruised from the mosh pit, yet the crowd was ramped up to keep going.
NOFX are unlike any other band you will ever see live. Most bands build up start off with an impressive entrance and establishing the momentum for the rest of the show, aiming for a high level of showmanship. Not NOFX. They walked casually on stage, some lingering behind instruments in plain view of the crowd. A few opened a cooler full of beer to share will their abundant side stage guests, before nonchalantly walking out to the front of the stage to equip their guitars. The stage set up was simple – amps, guitars, and a tiny little “NOFX” sign that hung above the drum kit.
Bassist and front man – known best by his stage name, Fat Mike – came out dressed in a leather kilt, accessorized with fishnet stockings, high top steel-toe boots, and a George Bush t-shirt. His $5.00 mohawk haircut was gelled perfectly to complete his look. It was an interesting combination of clothes for one outfit, but not for Fat Mike.
After a few minutes of talking, jokes, and casual banter, NOFX began the set with “Dinosaurs Will Die,” a catchy and quick punk song about the downfall of major record labels. Fat Mike has gone against said major record labels by forming his own independent label, Fat Records. Next up was “Fuck The Kids,” one of the band’s funnier and faster songs. It repeated the song title over and over for 30 seconds. It is just one of those classic, super short, NOFX, nonsense songs.
A surprise early on during the show was “Linolium,” one of the most popular songs over their 33 year career. All of SoDo went crazy. The fans screamed the lyrics so loud you could hardly hear the band on the PA. The crowd surfers, abundant, came flying over the barricade for the punk rock anthem.
Over the next hour-plus, NOFX only got better. As Fat Mike described, “We got good songs, played badly.” Guitarist El Hefe added on saying, “We always get better by the last chorus,” making fun of themselves. The best part about fast punk songs is there is not a lot of room for noticing any bad songs. Each song sounded just as good if not even better than the recorded version.
With 13 records under their belt, the set list possibilities could have any number of different song combinations. Fat Mike noted that a lot of the songs they planned to play on this tour they had not played in over 6 years. “It’s only the second night of the tour and tonight’s set looks completely different than the night before,” Mike enticed the crowd. Expected hits like “The Brews” and “Linoleum” were played. New songs from this year’s First Ditch Effort included “I Don’t Like Me Anymore” and “Six Years Dope,” which had ska and reggae influences.
Photos and review by Logan Westom
NOFX
Pears
