Monday's Special
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Monday sucks. Forever and always – unless it’s gig day.
Guess what? You’re far from being the only one thinking that. I am a professional monday hater and been looking for a way to make it better since I was running around in diapers – I know, I love being dramatic – but I’ve realised with time that when caffeine fails, having a quick shot of live music with your coffee helps you get through the day. Or at least it works for me.
So give it a try, grab yourself some coffee and enjoy right here a shot of live music I’ve dug up this week. We’ve got this !
Mondays aren't so dark if you don't let them be...
Mondays aren't so dark if you don't let them be...
- Blink 182 // Dammit @ Lollapalooza 2024 -
Still revisiting all the performances that brought me joy this year, and far up at the top of that list is obviously Blink 182 at Lollapalooza – and more specifically Mark being a pink pony club boy (1.18min mark for the restless).
You do know how much I love when my worlds collide and this one was definitely one hell of a high. Chappell brought me a lot of joy this year, and Blink brought me a lot of joy, well, as far as I can remember. A perfect match for my sorry arse.
These guys are one of these bands at the core of the shaky foundations of my love for punk rock. If you remember your teen years, you know what made you fall for rock music in the first place – part outlet for that angst, part fun and bonkers to take the edge off the bleakness of growing up. Mark, Tom and Travis were definitely the masters at the latest.
Our paths over the years may have diverged and that’s at least one obsession that calmed down but the hit of melancholy I feel when I hear their songs is still the sweetest of all, and the teen in me never fails to smile. As for the adult in me – god when did that happen – the late recognition that there were one or two life lessons in it all after all. Or maybe it was just life. I guess this is growing up. Let yourself loose once in a while, it feels good – with that song in particular.
Dammit will always feel like those excited afternoon scavenging at the record store, the laughs echoing at the skatepark at seeing the boys fall flat on their arses, the late nights on that destroyed couch in that one friend basement where baggy pants were big enough to fit two, the absolute mayhem of the songs being murdered on that low ass drum kit, the smoke in the air and the spilled beer on your shirt and all the broken guitar strings we never picked back up. What a mess. What an absolute joy. What a life.
Young and stupid, living off music, laughter and friendship with all the benefits of turning the worst days of our lives into the best ones without knowing it. Yeah. That was life indeed with Blink 182 around.
Dammit. You bet I still smile about it.
Enjoy.
- Dead Sara // UnAmerican @ PDX Spotlight -
I’ve been taking a deep dive into Dead Sara’s work these past few weeks and what I’ve found out about them is well more than enough to spare a few quick words instead of working my day job.
Like any other fan of Linkin Park with slight common sense, I got caught off guard by this new voice singing our favourite songs and bringing new bangers to the feasting table that is the From Zero era. I know what you’re thinking, another Emily special – again. Yes but no actually. HA. Gotcha.
Officially, I was curious to hear about Emily’s past work with her own band, but the truth is that I was just craving for more – you know how I always fall hard for voices.
I got served with a lot more than I was expecting to and it spurred one hell of a rant against Spotify’s algorithm once more. How on earth that band never appeared on my suggestions is still beyond me, for Dead Sara is not just right down my alley, it’s the fucking townhall of my musical taste.
Relatable themes, genius guitar riffs, that real life angst seeping through every beat and just the right amount of punkarsery to make it convincing – and that was even before finding out about the live versions.
One of those bands, my favourite kind, when live means ALIVE and where songs go from mere enjoyment to hook that shit into my veins real fast. Those performances are unreal, scratch that, they’re actually VERY real and it only takes a few watches to realize that that pit is where you’ll find happiness – or a broken knee, probably both. It’s raw, primal, and yet masterly driven by experienced musicians. Those theatrics only last a second before falling into the tangible world and tearing down the 4th wall between art and audience. That attitude is the level of cool we all secretly aspire to be and those growls and gritty guitars will scratch your musical ear just the right way. What a freaking bliss for the senses.
There’s no faking it in those sounds, in those words, and that atmosphere gets as real as can get on every possible level. You’ll feel attacked just as much as you’ll feel understood – that salvatory kick in the arse. Ha. That’s the one.
All that from behind your computer screen. That ain’t too bad for a Monday morning right? Quite à propos.
I’ll probably have to come back more in depth on that band because I have a feeling the craving for more is not gonna be an easy one to satisfy. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with that one perf that sums up all the shit I just said in a much better way – and that bridge is one hell of a monday vibe too.
Get ready for Dead Sara to make you feel alive folks.
Enjoy.