Concert Review: Attack On Uranus at the Record Bar
Wednesday, December 3
Better than: Watching a movie about punk rock.
Photo: Mike Alexander
I always figured local punks Attack on Uranus for some crazy mofos. Now I know it’s true. I caught the band for the first time last night at Record Bar. Apparently, it was bass player Jared Lee‘s last gig. Hence, the noose that had been strung from the ceiling in front of him.
Well, I wasn’t certain that it was a noose at first. The rope just kinda hung there for most of the set as the band slammed through some filthy riffs on drugs and sex and death, all to the delight of the tiny but excited crowd of punks in leather jackets and thick-soled boots. The lanky frontman flung himself around the stage a lot, baring his midriff every time he bent to or fro. The sounds coming out of him ranged from actual singing, to screaming, to a hardcore sort of roar. He pointed out several times between songs that his band sucked or was “retarded.”
That kind of thing annoys me — just own the stage when you’re up there, especially if you’re doing the hellbent-on-destruction, nihilistic punk thing. Maybe the band was nervous, though. In addition to it being Lee’s last gig, according to the group’s MySpace blog, somewhere out in that little crowd was a booking agent and representative from a little record label.
Regardless, Attack On Uranus didn’t suck. The whole spectacle was actually quite compelling and occasionally funny, in a disturbing kind of way. Like when the singer announced that it was time to slow things down for a prom song — which turned out to be called “Whiskey Dick.” Or when Lee’s head finally went through that noose and he resumed playing as his bandmates tugged on the other end and his face went a little red. Risking asphyxiation for a good show — now that’s punk rock.
Set List (as snagged from the stage)
Ule’B Dead
Omaha
Adderall
Problems
Hot Rod
Big Bad Woman
Black and Red
1984
Blowout
Yes You Death
Fuck You Die
Whiskey Dick
Bitch
Death Blue Eyes
Horror Field
Bob Seger
Shitten Kitten
Try Dying
Fuck Shit Up
Critic’s Notebook
Personal Bias: The whole scene gave me flashbacks of the 2007 Pitch Music Awards when
the Last of the V8s singer Ryan Mattes tossed beer bottles in the air and cut
himself.
Random Detail: The Attack On Uranus singer has one of those wild gazes that you don’t want to land on you in the event you’re not totally engrossed in his performance.
By the Way: The band’s default image on MySpace reads “Will Play For Beer,” and I’m pretty sure that’s what happened last night.
