I’m
not really sure why I went, but the superficial appeal of being on the guest
list was enough to overcome any doubts I may have had about the validity of
seeing another 80’s reunion. I
actually spent the 80’s following the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag around and
doing my best to ignore all non-punk music, but the rock & roll slut in me
quickly brushed aside those feeble doubts and made my first visit to Clutch
Cargo’s a reality. (TRUE
CONFESSION: I do have to admit that
I did see the Psych Furs back in the 80’s in Ann Arbor, but I’m sure that I
had a valid excuse, which I can’t remember anymore).
I was surprised at the number of people there and did see a few familiar
faces from those old hardcore days. The
place was pretty cool and very similar to St. Andrews in the internal layout.
I missed the opening band and then had to endure some of the lamest music
being played while waiting for the Psych Furs.
I assume that it must have been left over from one of their 70s
appreciation nights. Finally, the
band came on and everything seemed great for a while.
I recognized most of the songs and was kind of drawn back into that post
punk, new-romantic, new wave dance music (whatever that means).
However that soon wore off and I started to get bored; the band was
playing well and everybody else seemed to be having a great time, but I just
didn’t get it. Eventually I snuck out and headed home and couldn’t decide
if it was even worth going. That
was kind of my opinion of the whole 80s new wave scene anyway; I guess it was OK
for most people, but I would gladly trade all of that music to hear Black Flag
do “Six Pack” one more time.
All my philosophizing about the 80’s quickly came to close on Friday night about 2 minutes after I walked into the Magic Bag and felt a rush of great music filtering through Ferndale. I quickly charged up to the stage and got my first chance to see Shepwrench. The wait was well worth it– those three guys can plain out rock. My favorite highlight of their set was a cover of Sham 69’s “Borstal Breakout”. This is one of the finest songs ever written and it even deals with a subject dear to our hearts in Detroit – prison breakouts. (Every time I drive by that Ryan/Mound prison I always look around to see if anybody else is climbing over the fence).
After a short break, where I had to convince myself that I was actually in Ferndale and not on Cass by peering out the window and actually seeing lights and cars – it was time for the Gore Gore Girls. They are an all girl band again as a new drummer has joined them. The Gore Gore Girls are one of my favorite bands and they have never disappointed me with a bad show. Tonight was no exception; by this time I had shed all pretense of just leaning back and watching the band and have found that the only way to see a band at the Magic Bag is from about 5 feet from the front of the stage. By the time their set was done there was a small, but very enthusiastic group of us firmly wedged into that tiny little space in front of the stage.
The final treat of the evening was provided by the Paybacks. This is another band that I keep seeing whenever I can and they just keep getting better and better. I’ve been playing their little 4-song unreleased CD that I have and I just can’t get enough of this band. The show was just too great to describe and all I could do was scream along to every song and try to convince myself that it was not going to end anytime soon. Unfortunately these great shows always end way too soon, but our enthusiastic yelling brought the Paybacks back up for an encore. The encore brought yet another welcome shock to my system – thee Paybacks were covering the Ramrods great song: “I’m a Ramrod”. (Another historical note: The Ramrods were one of the first and possibly greatest punk bands in Detroit and this was always their best song). After this dose of energy – it was time to depart.
However, I am happy to report that I have solved the vexing parking problem in Ferndale by once again finding some back out-of-the way street to park on and avoiding all of the aimless cruising through filled parking lots. As I wandered back to retrieve my Explorer, I was doing my best bobble-head doll impression as I still had the Paybacks bouncing around in my brain. Some of Ferndale’s finest cruised by, realized that I had just seen a cool show and went on to harass those people coming out of the dance club across the street…. Now that capped off the perfect evening !!!!!!!
Notes: The Gore Gore Girls CD/LP is available from Get Hip Records.The Paybacks have a song on the Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit Compilation available from Sympathy for the Record Industry