Beat Beat Beat/Clit 45/The Heart Attacks
June 29. 2006
Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, GA
By Lynda
(SugarBuzz Atlanta)
1977 - The Clash plays the opening night of The Roxy in London, England. Patti Smith's legendary (albeit horrendous) stage accident occurs. EMI Records drop The Sex Pistols, who 1 month later are then signed to A&M Records and dropped by them as well only 6 days after. Sid Vicious joins the Sex Pistols. Keith Richards is busted twice for cocaine and heroin possession. Alice Cooper gets checked into the NY Sanitarium for alcoholism. X, Black Flag, Crass, and The Fall form. Studio 54 opens. The Damned release their debut "Damned, Damned, Damned". Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life", "The Clash" by The Clash (duh), and "Never Mind the Bullocks" by the Sex Pistols are released. Elvis Presley and Marc Bolan die. Yours truly is born.... And all of it, save that final bit of trivia, would coagulate into the basis of the life, the dreams, the attitude, the fashion, and the music of so many of the bands today... 1977 21st century style...Atlanta has two of these bands-Beat Beat Beat and (especially) The Heart Attacks-that are this to a T.
Beat Beat Beat hit the stage in their tight pants, spiky hair, sunglasses, studded belts, and bandanas. I've only seen them play once before (tho I've seen members at other shows). It was in Jacksonville, FL, over a year ago and it was one of the worst shows I've ever been to. But it was doomed from the beginning cos it was at a lost cause kind of place and we were ALL shitfaced.
Well, this show was a lot different. They were much tighter, and there was less haphazard stage antics. The signature late 70s punk rock sound strained through twenty years of history was nothing short of expected. And their "what the fuck ever" attitudes made them all the more stereotypical. Yet it doesn't get old.
Obviously, the crowd was made up mostly of said late 70s punk wannabe's, including a drunk, street punk b'oi' with a mohawk that never moved (despite the sweaty humidity) who thought it necessary to let the band and everyone else know that he preferred switch-off singer Kicks Chordell to main singer Josh Savage. Actually, I agree. But what do I know? I'm a rawker, not a "hate city rocker"-as all these kids are known as. And to kick the introductions out of the way: Josh is lead singer/rhythm guitarist, Kicks is rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist, Riff Rose is lead guitarist, Bison Beavers plays drums and Brandon Frantic plays bass... and damned if I had to actually look up their stage names...
I didn't know much about Clit 45. Hell, I still don't. In fact, all night until they played, I was trying to figure out if the tiny person I assumed was in their band was a petite guy or a "really good" lesbian. Then he (lead singer Dave) did some mic tests and I was left with mouth agape at the raspy, manly, almost froggy (think David Johansen in "Scrooged") voice that came from that little body. Yes, I feel bad and stupid, but whatever.
Anyway, so when Dave, Mike, Black Jon, and R The P hit the stage in their tight pants, spiky hair, studded belts, and bandanas, I was a little unsettled to find out they were a lot less glam influenced music-wise than the other two bands on the bill. Actually, they're hardcore punk Anyone who knows me knows a band has to be something special if they're hardcore punk for me to like them. Well, Clit 45 are something special.
After getting over my initial "shock", I was really into it. Well, I wasn't on the floor with the handful of punks who were beating the hell out of each other in love and hate (not really, but that's what non-punks like me see it as), but I fell in love. Their old school punk was just so...liberating. I couldn't understand the lyrics (as always...it's just something I don't do), but I was totally into Dave's voice, and even more so his stage antics. He kicked a fan in the chest and knocked fans into each other and pushed them into a pit. He grabbed a chick by the chin and screamed into her face. And after each stint, he would flash this huge, cute as hell smile like "hee hee". Then, of course, there were the bricklike drums, fast as hell bass, and occasional guitar solos that hinted at "yeah, I've heard Motley Crue and Poison". I wish these cats were coming back soon.
Finally, The Heart Attacks. I've known these kids for a couple of years now. They're completely inapproachable. They would rather spit in your face and then punch it than take five seconds to find out if you're cool or not. And I suppose that if you are subject to one of their infamous fights (even written about in AP mag. once) and yet come back for more, then you're ok in their book. Otherwise, you have to find other ways "in". I'm accepted cos I was friends with their ex drummer...and I think lead guitarist Tuk and I have an unspoken bonding over Hanoi Rocks (um, I crunched the numbers and realise I've been a fan for about 17 years now. whoa).
The guys are still cool to me, and I love them dearly, even tho I also think they're a bunch of snot nosed fuck ups. So, when lead singer Chase, Tuk, rhythm guitarist Dave, bassist Paul, and drummer Brad hit the stage in their tight pants, spiky hair, studded belts, and bandanas (see a pattern here?), I was ready for them to bring it like they always do (except the above mentioned Jacksonville, FL show).
Strangely, for a second, right before they started, my inebriated mind got scared-what if they have to start playing new songs and we don't get to hear the cult classics anymore? But I was comforted when they ripped into one of their beloved "hits" and kept them coming. They even played their typical CCR cover (time to replace it out, boys), and threw in an AC/DC tune that would have kicked ass had Chase not forgotten the lyrics half way thru-forcing Tuk to take over vocals and Chase just shrugged it off. It was still fun.
The Heart Attacks, altho their image and bulk of their sound screams "Dead Boys meets The Damned slapped in the face by (my fav) Girlschool", can be broken down into punk, rock, classic rock, glam rock, and hair band rock.
Even tho I was annoyed at first by Chase's frequent high pitched screams (which he has toned down over time), he is quite the singer and front man. And I've always thought highly of Tuk's playing...if only he would do more of the "review worthy" guitar solos I know he's capable of.
Back to the show, tho: the crow was well beyond into it. They were singing along to every word. There were small pits that broke out, but lasted for only a couple of seconds cos they would wind up grabbing each other around the shoulders and going back to singing along. It was like a huge dysfunctional family reunion. Beat Beat Beat were participating in the crowd, and the Clit 45 guys just stood in back and watched the phenomenon. I could feel them standing behind me watching this Heart Attacks experience and what it has culminated into, and I was proud-to the point where I was secretly doing that "Billy Idol sneer" and saying "fuck yeah. that's right" to myself-with no disrespect to the Clit of course!
Live Fast. Die Young. It never gets old. And they won't let it...