Black Flag

The expression "if it's too loud, then your too old," applies to one of my favorite bands, Black Flag.

They are one of those bands who have been around for awhile and being old as I am you often grow out of music you liked when you were younger. This is not the case for me. I think the band breaking up was very hard for me back then, but reading about it later it was the right thing.

I recently went to a concert where they were back together and that same fire and intensity from the eighties was still there. I remember when I was younger that in your face singing and playing that most kids don't get these days. Back in the day they played small venues where you could be right next to the stage and when Rollings is screaming right in your face you sing along with the song. Those were the days.

Today they still have that same head swinging and intensity, but as you get older so do the fans. There are some younger fans who are in front, but the show I went to had many of the older fans in the back swaying while the younger fans stayed closer to the stage. It was good to hear them again after so many years.

Unlike other bands I feel they have lyrics that you can understand and feel, instead of these wana be singers who repeat themselves over and over again because they have nothing genuine to say. When your at a black flag concert you can hear and feel the genuine feelings that are being portrayed. I think this still makes them one of the greats in my opinion.

Rip-roaringly riotous hardcore punk from a band who were there at the start! Angry Samoans are aggressive, exhilarating and undeniably fun, helping to establish the sound of a genre which defines so many people's lives to this day. Angry Samoans have been controversial from day one, getting blacklisted from all LA venues after releasing a track berating a famous DJ, arguing for his departure ("Get Off The Air!"). They have released four studio albums in their career, with each one exploring new territory within the hardcore genre. Live, they bound around the stage with endless energy as Mike Saunders spits out his satirical verse upon a begging audience. Guitars screech and wail and pound out endless power chords in a frenzy of destruction. Drums rip apart ear drums as Bill Vockeroth pummels out thunderous beats. It is nothing short of a whirlwind, a tornado of endless riffs and roaring vocals. Despite being together for over twenty years, they still have the potential to cause a riot, best experienced in a small venue loud. Whilst they haven't made any new releases in recent years, they continue to perform. Perhaps soon a new album will surface, reinstating their punk credibility to a new generation of fans of hardcore.