This might be the golden age of punk reunions. The last 5 years have brought several bands out of hiding and back to what they do best. There are several listed throughout this blog even. The Distillers have made the list of much-anticipated reunion tours. With these limited dates, there has been a lot of buzz about each show. Most of the week I have been following their press and fans on their journey.
I got to relive the magic at the Mohawk here in Austin, Texas. They didn’t have any local support bands but they choose the L.A. based band The Flytraps for all the tour dates. You can guess their possible inspirations; The Cramps, Joan Jett and the Runaways, and just old school rock and roll. They were a fun opener. Kind of cheesy but it worked on several levels. Kristin Cooper is an amazing bassist and she is a frontwoman extraordinaire. The one thing I couldn’t figure out was if their guitarists looked bored on purpose or if it was an act. I have to admit it kept me guessing. Their songs were catchy and had some clever subject matter. I will say they were professionals and got people behind their music. They also got a lot of their merch sold, which bands should take note of their hustle. Even though they were a great opener for this tour, I think a more street punk type of band would have made the tour even sweeter.
The Distillers came out the gate with “I am a Revenant” which would be my top choice for an opening song. Everything they played was pretty much what I wanted to hear. Their discography is not a large one but every album is great. Setlist below:
- I am the Revenant
- L.A. Girl
- Seneca Falls
- Die on a Rope
- Sick of it All
- The Gallow is God
- Oh Serena
- Dismantle Me
- The Hunger
- Love is Paranoid
- For Tonight You’re Only Here to Know
- Drain the Blood
- City of Angels
- The Blackest Years
They played a little from each album and my favorite had to be “Die on a Rope”. Unfortunately, Brodie’s voice wasn’t 100% at the Austin date. I think this was to be expected on some level since these albums are intense and have real highs/lows vocally. I think the band did their best collectively to make sure the show went on as planned. I thought her voice sounded beautiful in ” The Hunger” which just starts out with just vocals and guitar. One thought I had originally about this tour was Brodie going to able to sing some of this material since it is very personal and haunting. Luckily it seems liked second nature and the band made it seem effortless. I was also really thankful to see a ton of women at the show because in most scenes the female gender lacks in representation. I think this is a sign that there is a need for more female fronted/minded bands that represent all of us. This short tour makes me hopeful for the future of women in music and to hear some new tracks from the Distillers themselves.
Feel free to comment about other dates on this tour or photos/videos!
Punk Rock Anthropology 