Crazy Spirit + Vaccine + Sex Drive @ OCCII 19/7/2012
OCCII has been around quite a while and has always managed to keep their shows and activities interesting, they’ve never been off the map so to say.
Lately OCCII has been killing it with hardcore and punk shows. Just look at the previous shows archive on their site; bands like ManLiftingBanner, Oi Polloi, Neon Piss and Coke Bust are just some highlights. Occii brings 3 new promising bands in just the second show that I’ve witnessed there. Here’s a little write up and report on the evening of July 19th.
After some train delays and some tram troubles I just managed to get to the beautiful once squatted place called occii just in time, at least, that’s what I thought. Internet and flyers told me that the show was starting at 21.30 sharp. Tired of running the last few hundred meters just to be there in time, I was a little disappointed with having to wait another half an hour for Sex Drive to start. Not really a big deal, but starting on time would’ve been a bit more practical. Luckily the first band made up for the little wait.
Sex Drive
Sex Drive, the new band of Dutch Straight Edge wunderkind Johnny Forward, started their set with confidence. They blasted through roughly 15 minutes of fast, raw and angry “art” hardcore. Having just released their first 7″ “Urban Predator” they didn’t have that much material to play. They did play some songs of a yet to be announced 2nd 7″, and believe me, that sounded pretty promising. The bands performance was tight, all songs came across like that band had been playing them for years. Johnny delivered the lyrics with great stage presence, proving that he still is a force to be reckoned with in the hardcore scene. I must say that I was a bit bummed on the crowd participation here, there wasn’t much moshing or singing along to be seen. Sex Drive being a fairly new band, that didn’t surprise me that much, but it would’ve been a nice addition. Sex Drive is one of my personal new favorite bands, and I hope that they’ll will be able to play some good shows and put out some new music. If you’re schedule allows it, please check them out with Give & No Tolerance @ Innocent in october.
Vaccine
The 2nd band to hit the stage was Massachusetts straight edge “powerviolence” band Vaccine. Consisting of member of bands like Orchid, Think I Care and Ampere, they had a lot to show for. Their set was, as expected, very fast, very angry and, caused by a combination of those two, very very short. I can’t say that I am a powerviolence fan, so my opinion on their performance probably is a little biased and for that I am sorry. Vaccine gave everything in their short set, the blast beats were in time, the vocalist completely went off in the crowd, it was all there. I was a bit disappointed in the sound quality though, more than half of the vocals just didn’t come through at all. The set was fun to watch, but I can’t say that they really got to me or impressed me. They probably didn’t really impress the crowd either, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone moshing or going off. This could just be a coincidence though.
Crazy Spirit
Crazy Spirit is a NYC punk band that has been gaining a lot of buzz and attention on the internet and in the scene. They’ve just released their debut LP that brings out their signature, ratty streetpunk/hardcore sound that many of us have fallen in love with. Crazy Spirit also was the first band that got somewhat of a crowd response; there was some pushing, two-stepping, moshing and screaming, it certainly was fun to watch. I even think that I saw someone walking out with a nosebleed or a broken tooth or something. Punx. The music performed was pretty good too. The band started playing and wouldn’t stop busting out galloping, loud and screeching 80s punk for about half an hour. The playing again was tight, everyone was in time and the songs sounded pretty alike to the recordings; the performance was raw and pure, nothing more to it. I’m fairly new to their music but still really enjoyed the show, they are a band that really shows their strength in a live show. I believe the rest of the crowd might’ve enjoyed it too, judging from all the Crazy Spirit LPs I saw being bought.
Just to conclude; it was a fun night with some new, promising music, that was certainly worth the 7 euros I paid for it. I can recommend all of you to pay a show at the Occii a visit, and try one of those Melon lemonades while you’re at it too.
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