Tom Gabel vocals for Against Me!
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Against Me!
with Ninja Gun
February 18, 2010
Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Review by Katie Condon
Photos by Ashleigh Ahern
Some may say that South Florida's punk scene is dying. Go to an Against Me! show, and you might think differently.
Fans of all ages gathered at Culture Room to see the Gainesville native heroes. But first, there was the wait. After an hour and a half, the closest we got to entertainment were old Evanescence music videos.
However, crowd members found their own social scene until Ninja Gun opened the show. Frontman J. Coody admitted that the band went the wrong way on the Turnpike, but they pulled through their fatigue to kick off the set.
Jeffrey Haineault, drummer of Ninja Gun
The four man band strung their songs together with the occasional Southern “’Preciate It” in between. The crowd threw them a clear acceptance, and the energy was reflected in Ninja Gun’s stage presence. With a tight sound and catchy choruses, I wouldn’t be surprised if they will be headlining their own tour.
They streamed through songs such as “Roman Nose” and the title track from their new album, Restless Rubes. Although the audience was enjoying the set, we had two more to get through on a Thursday night, so the boys from “the dirt roads of Georgia” packed up their instruments to make way for Tim Barry.
Tim Barry
I wasn’t too thrilled to see one man walk out on stage with a guitar, but what I didn’t know was that this man carried more than strings. He had stories.
Before he began playing, he made sure to take a gulp of Miller Light and said “I’m Tim Barry from Richmond, Virginia. What the f*** is up?” The crowd already considered him family. Barry opened with “Dog Bumped” from his 2006 album, Rivanna Junction. Within minutes, the audience memorized the chorus. Even with a broken hand, the man played for the love of sharing his experiences.
“Thank you for being here in my own f***ing head,” he said. He then continued to lay out his life in his punk attitude/folk style songs such as “Idle Idylist” off of Laurel St. Demo (2005) and “Avoiding Catatonic Surrender.”
Once Barry walked off staged everyone knew that soon enough everyone would be meshed into one giant mass of sweat and blood. Impatient fans kept themselves from getting bored by singing Against Me! songs such as “Sink, Florida, Sink” loud and proud.
With each song, the audience’s participation increased, from hand claps to getting kicked out by security. And the kids had every right. This was the first set list that I have ever been completely satisfied with.
James Bowman of Against Me
The band walked out with confidence, and the crowd supplied pits and crowd surfers before their first song, “Teenage Anarchist (Working title)” was half way through. I somehow managed to re-tie my shoes before I lost them to those who insisted on jumping on my toe that was fractured the week before.
With each song, the audience’s participation increased, from hand claps to getting kicked out by security. And the kids had every right. This was the first set list that I have ever been completely satisfied with. From "White People For Peace" from 2007’s album New Wave to “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” off of Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose (2002), the band played to their punk roots. The drums never died down, and the vocals were as strong as the original tracks.
They knew that they wouldn't get away without playing “Miami” and the crowd favorite, “Sink, Florida, Sink.” Let’s just say that some new bruises can be attributed to representing South Florida.
However, some took the enthusiasm too hard, as they did not get escorted out by security, but taken out by fire rescue. Yet, no matter how rough the crowd gets, Against Me! will never turn fans against each other, but bring the punks together like a family reunion.
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JCoody of Ninja Gun
Andrew Seward and Tom Gabel of Against Me!
Tom Gabel of Against Me!