If you’re in a hurry, here’s the deal…I’ve seen 1000+ bands in my life and Fucked Up is very near the top of the list of greatest live acts I’ve experienced. No joke, up there with Fugazi, Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard, pre insane HR Bad Brains, Black Tusk, Metallica…you get the idea. If you like indie, punk, metal, any kind of heavy music, great live bands, experimental rock, energy, all ages shows or things that don’t suck, you would be crazy to not show up at Southern Pine Company of Georgia Wednesday night with an open mind (and possibly ear plugs). $15 advance purchase, $18 at the door. Crazy Bag Lady and Doomsquad open, music starts at 7 sharp. Musicfile Productions is killing it this summer. Check the event page for more info.
Check out Queen of Hearts from their rock opera (yep, rock opera) David Comes to Life.
Need more convincing or more info? Are you really just bored? Okay, here we go.
Fucked Up formed as a hardcore punk band out of Toronto in early 2001, what they’ve morphed into since then is, well, something entirely different and unique. Don’t even try to wade through their discography, as it consists of 80+ releases..full lengths, e.p.’s, 7″s, mixtapes, split singles, covers..you name it. Here, I’ll oversimplify it for you.
An early performance at CBGB’s.
By the time the band recorded Hidden World, their first full length album, the speedy hardcore punk blasts started to stretch out, a third guitarist was added and the album showed more than a few signs of the experimentation to come. Several of the songs featured strings, a little spoken word, but still crushing, rabid vocals punk rock.
Baiting of the Public on MTV Live, which got them banned from MTV the first time.
Chemistry of Common Life won tons of accolades, Pitchfork Best New Music, a Polaris prize and generally glowing reviews. It featured guest female vocals, multiple overdubs, a more “indie” feel while retaining the signature FU bite and some decidedly non punk instruments (I’m looking at you, flute).
Here’s that flute.
How do you follow such an acclaimed work? Rock opera, of course, set in Thatcher era Britian with an unreliable narrator. David Comes to Life charted in the U.S., U.K. and Canada and was nominated for another Polaris Prize.
The Other Shoe.
Glass Boys followed in 2014 a fairly personal and introspective theme running through it. Made the music charts again in several countries.
Throughout it all, Fucked Up has also been creating a series of e.p.’s based on the signs of the Chinese Zodiac, which is the concept the band is currently touring behind. The songs tend to run in excess of 15 minutes and are stuffed full of non punk experimentation, in song structure, production, you name it. Members of DOOMSQUAD are joining Fucked Up on stage to beef up the band to a 9 piece (!!) to pull off the Zodiac songs live.
Definitely check out Year of the Ox. Wow.
I haven’t even mentioned the 12 hour show, Fox’s Red Eye appearances, the destructive return to MTV, the made up band manager, the celebrity filled cover of Do They Know It’s Christmas, the lawsuit against Camel cigarettes, the aliases the members originally performed under, the TV hosting gig, and…..jeez, just come see the show, okay? They rule, I promise.
Oh, and if it’s a typically sweltering Savannah summer evening I wouldn’t wouldn’t be surprised if we heard this…..