Face to Face playing a free show at a venue the size of a 3-car garage; the only thing that could have made the show better would’ve been midget go-go dancers, but that’s just my little fetish.
I haven’t heard too many bands that sound just as good, or better live, but Face to Face definitely does. A frog’s ass doesn’t even begin to describe how tight these guys are. At one point a fight broke out in the pit. The band stopped until the problems were removed from the club. When things were fun again, the band picked up right where they left off (in the middle of the song) and finished the song that was interrupted; it was like pausing a CD.
The band played a good mix of the old and the new. One of the songs off the new album, Reactionary, that really stood out to me was song titled “Hollow“. I won’t try to describe what it sounds like, but I’ll tell you how it made me feel. It’s one of those songs that make you feel like a hero, even when everything has let you down. It’s the type of songs you rely on to pick you up off the ground, wipe the blood out of your eyes and remind you that things will work out. Songs like “Hollow” are why people listen to Face to Face.
At a time when most “punk” songs are written to be funny and catchy, Face to Face holds true to the roots of punk rock. Trevor Keith has great sensibility to take the complex situations that life throws at all of us, and translates them into lyrics we can all relate to. He strips away all of the rhetoric and bullshit that we all use to confuse each other with, and keeps only the raw emotions and honest thoughts. The result is a purer form of punk rock.
This show was definitely one of the best live performances I’ve seen in a very long time. I almost wish I had to pay to get in, that’s how good it was. I did buy a few over priced alcoholic beverages, so I guess it evens out.
Powerful, to the point, fast, loud, and brutally honest; that’s punk. That’s Face to Face.
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Written by: Arnold Willis
