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Ana GarriguesGRI <anagarrigues@pilot.infi.net>
September 5, 1999
I recently bought the new
Anti-Flag cd A New Kind Of Army. I originally saw a Go-Kart Records advertising
the release. I was very disgusted with the name, figuring it was some losers
lashing out at society. Boy was I worng. Anti-Flag increased my anger with
the government and suprised me
with their uncanny old school
talent. Even with their humorous songs their is still a strong message
which begs to be heard. Anti-Flag lives up to the name of "best unknown
street punk bank" |
Anti-Flag calls for a non-violent
punk-rock revolution
Friday, April 30, 1999
By Ed Masley, Post-Gazette
Pop Music Critic
The name of the band is Anti-Flag.
The illustration on the cover
of the Pittsburgh punk group's latest album, "A New Kind of Army," shows
a group of mohawk-wearing punk-rock soldiers hoisting a flag in sands-of-Iwo-Jima
fashion.
The flag is American.
Upside-down, but American.
The music itself is even
more explicit in its attack on the state of affairs in a nation where some
kids are killing their classmates while others are being shipped to Yugoslavia
to kill at the president's bidding.
"I Don't Believe" finds singer
Justin Sane declaring, "I don't believe in America or the American Dream."
On "Free Nation?," he rails against the hypocrisy that leads a racist,
homophobic nation to call itself free. On "Outbreak," he goes so far as
to accuse our cigar-licking, dress-staining leader of bombing Iraq as a
smokescreen to draw attention away from his extra-curricular use of interns.
There's a photo of a dead
Iraqi soldier in the CD tray. Beneath his lifeless body, it reads, "Your
tax dollars at work."
Is Anti-Flag anti-American?
Not on your life.
As it states in a number
of places on the album cover, "Anti-Flag does not mean Anti-American. Anti-Flag
means anti-war. Anti-Flag means unity."
It means helping America
find its misplaced soul at a time when it clearly needs one.
"I don't hate America," says
Sane. "I love America. I grew up here. I'm connected to the culture here.
The idea of Anti-Flag was never 'We're down on America.' But there are
problems here that need to be worked on. And just blindly saying 'I love
everything about America' is defeating the principles America was founded
on."
The title, "A New Kind of
Army," is explained in the tearaway army poster you'll find on the flip
side of the lyric sheet. The A-F Army is "too smart to fight, too smart
to kill."
It's one of two agendas Sane
was hoping to push with the album, the other being a move toward unity
and acceptance. And no, not just in corporate America but in the clique-ish
punk community as well.
"It's important for us, if
we're going to have a peaceful world," he says, "to accept each other's
ideas and differences."
He points to the shootings
in Littleton as yet another side effect of living in a nation where people,
young and old, are routinely persecuted for not fitting into the master
race of cultural conservatives.
"I see it as such a tragedy,"
he says of the shootings. "And one of the reasons that it seems to have
happened is because there really is very little acceptance for anybody
that's different. And it seems to me that these kids felt so isolated and
were so picked on that . . . I'm not excusing what they did, but I can
almost empathize with them, because in high school, I got messed with for
being a punk rocker. And to this day, I still do."
He's noticed, he says, that
one thing no one seems to be touching on in the round-the-clock coverage
of Littleton is "the fact that America, itself, is such an uncaring society.
The No. 1 thing is greed and money and pushing the other guy out of the
way so you can get to the top. It's not very shocking to me with the values
that are pushed on us from the day we're born. Look at the way that Clinton
is dealing with the problems in Kosovo. With violence. To me, it just feels
like those are the messages that are pushed on us, so it's not that hard
for me to believe that this happened, as horrible as it is."
He's hoping to get the message
of peace and unity out to everyone. And that means reaching out beyond
the punk scene.
"There's a standard held
by so many people that you have to do this exact thing to fit in with punk
rock," he says. "And we're trying to get away from that. We're trying to
say, you know, as long as you're trying to do something positive, then
we want you to be involved in what we're doing.
There's this idea of keeping
punk rock totally exclusive to a group of 200 people in each
city, of keeping it underground,
and I just think that's very self-defeatist. I want people to hear what
we have to say. And if people don't hear it, then it's not gonna make any
impact at all."
As serious as Sane and Anti-Flag
can be, among the many highlights of the new release, you'll find a hilarious
novelty track that finds a parade of knuckleheads asking what Sane says
are typical questions.
"Anti-Flag? That doesn't
mean anti-the American flag, does it?"
Another sneers, "You know,
if you guys think America's so bad, why don't you move to Russia?"
Move to Russia?
Now, that would be anti-American.
He'd rather stay and fight.
In "Got the Numbers," he
calls for nothing short of a revolution but not a violent revolution the
way a Clinton or Milosevic would do it.
"All revolutions don't have
to be bloody," he says. "And all revolutions don't have to be violent.
What we would hope to do is have a cultural revolution, a revolution in
people's minds, that people do become more caring and more accepting. We
want people to say, 'We refuse to fight for you. You're trying to lead
us into war and it doesn't make any sense.' When enough people band together
and stand up against something, when soldiers start to lay down their guns
and say no, I'm not gonna go break up this demonstration because these
people are right, a lot of things can be accomplished." |
| Maximum Rock and Roll *
March 1998 * Anti Flag - "Die For The Government" LP
Musically, Anti-Flag only
seems to get better and better, or is it just me? Every song on this record
is really good. I was kseptical of yet another song called "Kill The Rich,"
but this one is outstanding, with a kind of "Sonic Reducer" intro part.
The only lagger out of the seventeen, I feel is, "No More Dead," with preachy
lyrics about black on black crime, and a guitar solo that goes on forever.
The rest are energetic and serious, ranging from eighties'-style hardcore
to more ska-ish songs ("Summer Squatter Go Home"). It's the best I've heard
yet from ANTI-FLAG. (GS) Greta S. (New Red Archives, PO BOX 210501, San
Francisco, CA 94121) |
| Anti-Flag + Against All
Authority * split 7" (Records of Rebellion/PO Box 700215/Goulds, FL 33032)
By: Emmanuel Goldstein
Each band puts out 3 brand
new songs. AAA demonstrates the progression in their style. In the past
they had chaotic horns throughout their songs, but now they just have lightning
fast punk with hard horn breakdowns towards the end or sometimes in the
middle of their songs. Each song has lyrics in the form of stories about
society. Anti-Flag's side has what I think is the best song they've written
in "The Truth", singing against television and commercial media. In the
other two songs is an anti-violent anthem and a condensed version of "Your
Daddy Was A Rich Man" which was recorded in the bassist's basement. |
| Hey all you government officials
and filthy rich people (There may be a correlation). Here's a band who
rears its ugly punk head everytime it sees you. It's Anti-Flag, crawling
out of the gutters of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If you idolize the US flag,
check out Red White and Brainwashed. The song is off the 17-song Anti-Flag
Demo, and it was made just for you. Produced by Andy Flag (Bass + Vocals),
Justin Sane (Guitar + Vocals), and Pat Thetic (Drums), the Anti-Flag Demo
was created with full artistic license. You won't be compromised with this
70s-styled East Coast punk trio. Don't listen to the authorities, listen
to Anti-Flag. --Johnn, Virtual Radio |
ANTI-FLAG: Their System
Doesn't Work For You CD
This CD is great! It's a
re-release of the 9 songs A-F did on the "North America Sucks" comp. plus
it has more unreleased songs. Known A-F style! I think it's better than
Die For The Government.
From: http://www.oocities.org/SunsetStrip/Amphitheatre/5535/RECORDREVIEWS.HTML |
| Anti-Flag * Die For The
Government * New Red Archives
Anti-Flag is a pretty good
political punk band from Pittsburg. Some of their songs are poppy, some
snotty, and some near the end of the album have a slow heavy feel to them.
Most of the poppy and snotty songs are very good, but the heavyish songs
really suck. Most of the political lyrics are ok, but nothing spectacular.
Plus I really don't like their views on rich people in the songs "Kill
The Rich" and "Your Daddy Was A Rich Man, Now Your Dads Fucking Dead".
On the other hand songs like " Drink Drank Punk", " Red White And Brainwashed",
and "Punk By The Book" rule and have a perfect relationship between the
vocals and the instrumental. I give them a 6.5. From: http://www.oocities.org/SunsetStrip/Balcony/8991/A_link.html |
| Anti-Flag - Kill Kill Kill!
(7")
Anti-Flag, PO Box 71266,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
or: SelfServ Records, PO
Box 71466, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
I've been hearing ALOT
about these guys lately. However, after hearing so many rave reviews, I
guess I was expecting a little bit more. Don't get me wrong though, this
is a decent record, but not fabulous. If you haven't heard Anti-Flag, the
play punk rock circa 1981. Lots of spkies, mohawks and snarls. It's catchy,
has enough energy to make me happy, and the lyrics talk about your standard
pissed-off punk rocker subjects (the rich, government, etc...). "You'd
Do The Same" is a great tune, "Davey Destroyed the Punk Scene" is good
too. The other two songs aren't bad, but nothing too amazing. I really
want to hear more from these guys, because this record is good, but I'm
sure they have better. Reviewed: December 11, 1997 From: http://www.worldchat.com/vic/wwp/musicreviews.html |
Anti-Flag - Die for the
Government
Fantastic political punk
rock from Pennsylvania. Musically I keep thinking of some kind of combination
between Stiff Little Fingers and Against All Authority without the horns.
Lyrically you get anthemic political lyrics you can raise your fist at.
This is the band you keep hearing about so get off your ass and pick this
up. You won't be disappointed. Included is an editorial about the schmucks
that ruin the all ages scene in PA. New Red Archives. (VD) From:
http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~lankutis/sh/5revA.html#8 |
| ANTI-FLAG * Die For The
Government (New Red) * by Austin Nash
It's nice to see a punk band
that remembers what it's all about. ANTI-FLAG is the kind of unspoiled,
unadulterated punk that goes after the economy, society, mob behavior,
every branch of the government, patriotism, jocks, schools, rich people,
death, youth, people who pretend to be punk, and just about every other
institution you can think of with a rigid structure, or not. I'm with these
guys, fuck everybody. from: http://www.lollipop.com/issue36/36-05.html |
| DR STRANGE RECORDS * Anti
Flag - CD. "Their System doesn't Work For You"
This is a really good cd
but I don't think I like this one as much as their New Red Archives release.
This is mostly old, out-of-print, and hard to get stuff. Don't get me wrong,
this is positively worth getting but if you're deciding between the two,
I'd get the other. One of the few "newer" bands out there that can pull
off the "classic" early '80's Punk Rock sound. Scale of 1 to 10,
this gets a 7 plus. from: http://www.drstrange.com/Reviews.html |
| Impact Press - Quickie Reviews
* Anti-Flag • Die For The Government • New Red Archives •
'Punk's not dead,' the Exploited
wailed in the '80s, and it's still true with Anti-Flag. They're aggro,
against government and the establishment. If you thirst for punk, get it
quick. from: http://www.mindspring.com/~impact-press/music/febmar97/feb97mus.htm |
| HI-FI March 97 REVIEWS *
ANTI-FLAG * Die For Your Government * New Red Archives 70
In the grand tradition of
the Clash, the Dead Kennedys and Toxic Reasons (look it up punk) come Pittsburgh's
Anti-Flag, a one band crusade to inject politics back into the bloated,
rotting corpse known as American punque rawk. You might be tempted to call
'em Rancid Jr. except for one fact -- when A-F go off about the police
or the scene they leave no doubt: They mean it, maaan!
Quite frankly this shit is
so good, I don't know where to begin. Musically tight and skilled with
all the requisite stops and starts/tricky time changes, feedback tinged
guitar rips, shouted gang vocals as well as honest-injun three part harmonies,
these lads got all the right parts in all the right places.
These are anthems for the
new millennium, but what's amazing about them is how well written and catchy
they are. To call some of us old retired punks here at the HI-FI HQ "cynical"
is a bit of an understatement (doubting Thomas here leading the way). But
when we played this baby, jaws fell agape, canes and walkers were thrown
to the floor, fists were thrust into the air and a spontaneous pit broke
out. As the evangelical among us might say, (Anti-Flag do open "Confused
Youth" with some nifty Gregorian chants) we were filled with the spirit.
It might be easy to write
Anti-Flag off due to the pseudo-Brit accents and somewhat cliched titles
and lyrics. But damn it, "Police State in the USA" rings just as true in
1997 as it did 1977. And songs like "Drink, Drank, Punk," "Davey Destroyed
the Punk Scene" and "Punk by the Book" all lampoon current issues in the
punk scene with a nice swift boot to the arse.
And if you ain't singing/shouting
"Die for the Government" by the final chorus of the title cut, you're either
a Senator or Congressman or a closet Kenny G fan. ("Why don't you boys
leave that nice Kenny alone?" "Sorry, ma...") Either way, as old pal Jello
once said, "We've got a bigger problem now" and we've got Anti-Flag to
tell us about it. Thank god somebody still has the balls to. (TC) Tom Colletta
from: http://www.spwa.com/hifi/reviews/march97/hififrames.html |
| Anti-Flag * Die for the
Government * (New Red Archives)
Punk nostalgia right down
to the fake Limey accents. I take it about as seriously as I take Sha Na
Na. Musicianship: D-minus. Dana Collins from: http://www.westword.com/
a denver online paper |
| Punk In Pittsburgh Rises
Again
So reads Pittsburgh's alternative
weekly, In Pittsburgh, which goes on to describe the town's re-invented
punk scene, fronted by Anti-Flag and affectionately called THE FAST KID
PUNK ROCK MOVEMENT.
Anti-Flag are one of those
extremely hard-working bands that we know are out there. They record. They
tour. And then they start the process over once again.
After two very successful
7" releases and inclusion on several compilation disks, Anti-Flag had their
first CD, a split with Vancouver's DBS, released on Nefer Records in 1996.
This latest release, "Die for the Government," is their first full-length
CD, and is available on their new label, New Red Archives. And look out
for a February split LP, with East Bay's The Dread on Clearview Records.
Anti-Flag has also toured
the US and Canada extensively over the past two years, playing hundreds
of shows in towns, big and small. During that time, they have shared the
spotlight with bands like Rancid, Fifteen, The Queers, Youth Bridge, MDC,
7 Seconds, Chaos UK, The Swingin' Utters, Tesco Vee and the Meatmen, Avail,
The Pink Lincolns, The New Bomb Turks, Tilt, The Bouncing Souls, and the
Mr T Experience - just to name a few.
Buoyed by this recent release,
"Die for the Government," on NRA, along with the notoriety they have gained
for their catchy and spirited live performances, plans are now underway
for the biggest and most extensive tour in the band's history. Commencing
in February, Anti-Flag will begin their tour of North America, meeting
up somewhere in the US with legendary UK Subs in April and May. --NRA (New
Red Archives) 1997 Catalog. |
World Wide Punk *
Anti-Flag - Kill Kill Kill! (7")
Anti-Flag, PO Box 71266,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
or: SelfServ Records, PO
Box 71466, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
I've been hearing ALOT about
these guys lately. However, after hearing so many rave reviews, I guess
I was expecting a little bit more. Don't get me wrong though, this is a
decent record, but not fabulous. If you haven't heard Anti-Flag, the play
punk rock circa 1981. Lots of spkies, mohawks and snarls. It's catchy,
has enough energy to make me happy, and the lyrics talk about your standard
pissed-off punk rocker subjects (the rich, government, etc...). "You'd
Do The Same" is a great tune, "Davey Destroyed the Punk Scene" is good
too. The other two songs aren't bad, but nothing too amazing. I really
want to hear more from these guys, because this record is good, but I'm
sure they have better. Reviewed: December 11, 1997 |
VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE
Zine
Anti-Flag/The Dread-split
Pic. Disc LP 3.5 out of 6. Anti-Flag are a great punk band, but on this
release it doesn't show. A live set mainly composed of
boring covers. The Dread,
on the other hand, are a fantastic band from California. Seven Solid songs.
This is limited to 1200. |
7-18-99, Anti-Flag, Warped
Tour, Asbury Park, NJ
I saw Anit-Flag yesterday
at the Asbury Park edition of Warped Tour '99. So I thought I'd write
a review of their set for you to use on your site!
First off, let me say that
the worst thing about festival concerts is that your favorite bands only
play for about 30 minutes. But AF made those 30 minutes count.
They ripped and roared through mostly new songs from their recent release,
"A New Kind of Army."
Lead singer Justin Sane stopped
the set only once, to tell-off a white-supremacist skinhead. Sane
called the kid a "facist," and was able to rile up the crowd of well-mannered
kids by assuring us of our ability to make up our own minds and not to
be taken under by people who are so
stupid, they can only use
physical intimidation. What these people should try using is their
brain, Justin said.
I've seen AF at least six
times now, and each time they rock my world. I don't need to be in
the pit to enjoy them, either. I can stay at a distance and still
enjoy thier music and their message.
Rock On,
Rebecca Z
New York, NY, by way of
Pittsburgh, PA |
7-17-99, Anti-Flag, Warped
Tour, N. Hampton Massachusetts
Anti-Flag played the best
out of all the bands in the Warped Tour(in my mind!) All the songs were
great, and they are some of the nicest and funniest guys you'll ever get
to meet.
I don't really remember the
order of the songs, but a few were. "Davey destroyed the punk scene," "drink
drank punk," "new kind of army, "tearing everyone down," "safe tonight,"
"fuck police brutality," "We've got his gun,and Anti-Flag finished with
"you've gotta die for the government." I may have missed one or two, but
that was the line up.
The show was awesome everyone
singing along and jumping around. At one point everyone was getting hit
with mud, and my friend and I got covered, but Justin told them to nock
it off. Pat had a pink minnie skirt on his head, that some kids asked him
to wear, so he wore it just about the whole show. Justin talked about some
of his/bands views and there very true. The whole show was the best,
and if you ever get a chance to see them live, do it! Towards the end No.
2 told the crowd that they weren't even scheduled to play, but Warped Tour
let them anyway. I'am very glad they did, I went to see them, and was very
impressed. Great Job Anti-Flag!
Jeff Allen, bmxican2@hotmail.com |
April 16, 1999
St. Andrews Hall
Anti-Flag with The Bouncing
Souls
When I first heard that the
Bouncing Souls were touring with Anti-Flag, I wasn't quite sure what to
think. Of course I was elated, they are two of my favorite bands, but I
wasn't quite sure how the two would mesh. I had the feeling that Anti-Flag's
intensity and energy would deter from The Bouncing Souls' performance,
and I was right. Fom the minute Ant-Flag took the stage, they had
the crowd wrapped around
their fingers. "If you wanna see a fucking bombed-out city, look at Detroit,"
were the first words out of Pat Thetic's mouth. That comment was met with
overwhelming approval. They proceeded to play a blistering set, including
"Fuck Police Brutality," "A New Kind of Army," "She's My Little Go-Go Dancer,"
and a cover of The Clash's "White Riot," which would have made Joe Strummer
proud. Their set was so intense and awesome, the Bouncing Souls
looked boring and weak in
comparison. It's not often that one sees the crowd more involved in the
opening band's set than the headliner's set, but at this show, that's exactly
what happened. Way to go Anti-Flag for kicking the Bouncing Souls asses!
caryn taylor caryntaylor@hotmail.com |
Anti-Flag at the Agora in
Cleveland on July 3rd, 1999
Reviewed by Karen: 34bgrrrl1@excite.com
I attended the Anti-Flag show at Cleveland's Agora Ballroom on July 3rd.
Being a Detroit native, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the scene
in Cleveland. (The scene in Detroit sucks). People from as far as California
were there for the show. The kids were about as real as they come in terms
of what "punk rock" means to me. They were there not only for the band,
but to have a good time (which entailed getting trashed behind the venue
on cheap beer to some).
Anyway... getting to the show. Reagan Youth and Vermin (a local band, i
think) opened for them. The latter band was the typical Blink 182-esque
punk- especially the vocals. Reagan Youth rocked out and effectively worked
the crowd into a frenzy. By the time Anti-Flag got onstage, the pit was
full and the stage diving began. Some testosterone driven asshole security
guards tried to assert their manliness by pulling kids off the stage as
they tried to sing with Anti-Flag, but it appeared to me that Chris said
a few words to them and they fucking relaxed for a while.
There was a ton of positive energy in the crowd. It climaxed with Justin
inviting all the kids onstage to sing "Die for the Government" with the
band. It was a sweaty and claustorphobic mass of screaming kids united
for a brief time which i have to say was the fucking best part about being
there.
After the show, the band conversed with their fans about music and politics
which few bands do and is another reason Anti-Flag is so worth seeing.
I was able to speak with Justin briefly after the venue cleared out. He
was extremely generous towards my friend and I and gave us a Cd and shirt
for driving 3 and a half hours to see them again after their Detroit show
with Sick of it All and Good Riddance.
Overall, I have to say they are definately a band worth seeing and talking
to. They actually made staying in the ghetto seem worthwhile. |
4/08/99 - Bouncing Souls,
Anti-Flag, Vision, Greek American Political Club, Cambridge, MA.
As the first band began
to play, the crowd immediately started to dance. Vision, a band from New
Jersey, started the night off with a bang. Although much of the audience
had no idea who they were, that certainly didn't stop them from dancing
and moshing up a storm. Vision seemed to be just another punk band. Nothing
really stands out about them, except for their enthusiasm and energy. They
put on a great set, and the night had just begun.
Next was Anti-Flag. This
was my first time seeing them and it was definitely not the last. A-F had
the audience in the palm of their hands. At the beginning, the drummer
encouraged the audience to use the stage as they wish, which they surely
did. Even with the youngsters flying off in every direction, there were
no serious injuries. Anti-Flag was an exceptionaly tight punk band. The
singer's higher voice gives them a unique edge. Also, they had real concerns
about the gov't and the war in Kosovo. This gained the respect of many
people in the audience, including myself. Overall the music was catchy,
and their sound had a nice twist with the vocals. The crowd was definitely
into them.
Now, last but certainly not
least...the band I went to see..the Bouncing Souls. I've never seen anything
like them. From the second they began to play until their very last note,
I was permanently pressed against the stage. Now let me tell you how hard
it is to take pictures when you're being kicked in the head and slammed
against a stage! Greg came out with a bright red scaly cap and a matching
multicolored cane! The bass player was completely covered in tattoos and
the guitarist stepped all over my hand throughout the show. Sorry to say
I couldn't really get a good look at the drummer.
Anyway, the Bouncing Souls
played everyone's favorite "Lamar Vannoy" (one of my personal favorites).
The crowd all cheered Oi! in unison, while Greg pranced around the stage
like the coolest man ever. Later came "Kate is Great," (a favorite
of my buddy Sarah) "I like your Mom," and "East Coast! F*ck You!" They
captured the essence of a band that's been together for 10 years, and it
shows!! One more thing..Greg also broke the ceiling with his cane..he's
the greatest!
This was overall one of the
greatest shows I've seen in a long time! I would recommend seeing any of
these bands if you get the chance! The Bouncing Souls are playing the Warped
Tour (hint hint..) and Anti-Flag plays local shows all the time, I'm not
sure about Vision, but you can buy their c.d at local stores, so you could
probably find a web address on the c.d. Well Rock and Roll everyone!
~Danielle from:
http://www.tonyandpals.com/reviews/4-08greek1.html |
| 4/08/99 Bouncing Souls,
Anti-Flag, Vision, Greek American Political Club, Cambridge ma.
I arrived at about 7:15 and
meet up with my friends and get in to see the middle of a set by Vision
(ive never heard of em but they were ok) they said that you could
only buy there records at stores because because there record company wouldnt
give 'em any oh well, an ok set though.
Now i am really excited because
ANTI-FLAG are setting up, so i crouse to the merch table and get some new
stuff and hang out til they start. A-F really gets the crowd goin even
before they start playing and they have a good sense of humor! Once they
are ready they start the first notes of Davey destroyed the punk scene
and the crowd explodes!! The pit was great and the sides were like a giant
pogo stick great fun! They blast through some great songs like Safe tonight,
betty sue is dead, fuck police brutality,tearing everyone down and kill
the rich they also put there in input on the situation in Kosovo and as
Pat Thetic said "when you have a violent situation the last thing you need
to do is put more violence into it" Nicely put Pat! After that Justin Sane
talked about how Boston should be the windy city not chicago, Then the
band rips through there last song Die for the government and then bow out
the great thing about A-F is everyone has a good time and sings along Great
fun (THANX ANTI-FLAG!!)
Next is the Bouncing Souls.
The Bouncing souls set i missed the first few songs because i was too busy
talking to pat and chris from ANTI-Flag and mark unseen (REALLY COOL PEOPLE!!!)
I then noticed i got blood on my new Anti-Flag shirt but thanx to the smart
bartender for tellin me how to get it out!! The Bouncing souls blasted
through some pretty good songs and the scally-capped singer looked like
he was havin fun and the crowd had fun too!
ALL in ALL the show was great
i lost A wristband and had to pay 2 dollars for a can of coke (not very
punk rock!) but i give this show a great rating!!! Cheers! all!
Joe Sutton from: http://www.tonyandpals.com/reviews/4-08greek.html |
| IronCity E-Zine Review of
A-F show on April 12, 1998 at Club Laga. Sent in by Adam Rahuaba
I had the privalige of going
to the Anti-Flag show at Club Laga last night. I expected to see a bunch
of posers and assholes like the last show. But being Easter, I guess Mommy
and Daddy didn't let them be heathens and go to a show on Easter. A rare
thing happened at this show.....People had fun. There wasn't much Offspring
video style stagediving, and people didn't act like dicks in the pit. Before
they played, Pat got up on stage and said, "I heard a funny rumor that
today was Easter. So I guess you're all not Cristians." Anti-Flag played
their best set in about a year. They even played some older stuff. By far,
the best A-F show that I've seen. |
| ANTI -FLAG & THE UNSEEN
@ Zelmo's in Ft. Pierce, FL on 8/14/98 by Danny Triolo
Before I start this I'd like
to say Anti - Flag is one of the best bands out there so if you've never
heard them check them out!!!! This show was really great. The first band
to play was The Unseen a band that is on tour with Anti - Flag. The Unseen
played an awesome set. The first lead singer moved around from instrument
to instrument as the others took their turns singing. I have to say I really
enjoyed this band.
Next up was Anti - Flag one
of my favorites. This being my first time seeing them I was very excited
as I sat on the stage waiting. Finally after some PA trouble they got going
opening up with "Davey Destroyed The Punk Scene". There was only about
50 - 60 people at the show but when Anti - Flag played everyone came together,
singing and dancing. The third song they played "Safe Tonight" (my favorite)
was great. Just about everyone there started a huge circle pit during that
song. There was some drunk guy beating on people in the pit so they stopped
playing and the band came into the crowd and kicked him themselves, it
was really cool. They only had 30 minutes to play so they could only play
ten songs. They played some of their best songs like Die For the Government,
Their System doesn't Work for You, and Indie Sux Hardline Sux Emo Sux YOU
SUCK. The show was great and Anti - Flag played awesome. If you don't listen
to Anti - Flag you should!! Here is a link to their Home page, http://www.telerama.com/~antiflag/.
From: The Underground E-zine |
| ANTI-FLAG IN PITTSBURGH,
OCTOBER 21, 1998
My name is Jim Ring and I
attended the last show, and it fuckin' rocked 53'd state opened up and
they really warmed the crowd up. I Farm played second, and I was instantly
compelled to mosh, but was tired from work so I saved it up for Anit-Flag
and Regan Squad. Justin Sane was late for the show due to a wedding so
we all got the treat of listening to the pressgang, a band i had never
heard of until then. But once they started playing i was very impressed.
They played a short set until Justin came in. After that the show really
took off. I moshed for every anti-flag song and half of regan squad. My
voice that was already almost gone from a friday night performance of "Nazi
punks fuck off" was completely gone and I was coated with sweat and a smile.
Anti-Flag is a show to never be missed. From the pit,
Jim |
| Anti-Flag at the Tune Inn
in New Haven, CT by Jeremiah R., ferg@mboard.com
I came to this show with
no clue of who Anti-Flag was or how cool the show was going to be. I was
filming punk shows for my school video class and went to this show only
expecting a generic crust punk show. The first couple bands were kind of
lame. Punk doesn't need to be complex or even
well-played to be good,
but there has to be a certain groove that the whole band is in for it to
be good, even if that groove is chaotic noise. Unfortunately, all the opening
bands lacked any sort of cohesion and just stumbled through and out of
tune version of the Exploited. I understandably wasn't expecting much from
Anti-Flag after this, so I was in for a big surprise.
I had been told that even
though the club said it was ok to film since I was doing it for school
I should ask the headliners personally to make sure it was ok. I made my
way to the side of the stage and asked someone who I later found out was
Pat Thetic if it was ok to tape his band. He told me that it wasn't just
ok, but that I could come on stage and film for their set. I was excited
but only had a faint idea of how fucking lucky I was. Justin Sane made
a brief statement about kickboxing not being dancing and made it clear
that the huge Orange 9mm tour bus outside was >Not< Anti-Flag's. The
band at this time had just fallen into the current line-up, but they played
like they had been together for years. Justin went insane jumping and flailing
all over the place while
he screamed. Pat was crazy,
pounding the hell out of his drums with a crazed look on his face the whole
set, while Jaime's great bassplaying and Chris's solid guitar playing backed
up the band. The band played with amazing energy, which I had the advantage
of being in the midst of. The band occasionally took a short break to talk
a little about their message but they didn't let it detract from the power
of their set. The show closed with 'Kill the Rich', and by that time I
wasn't the only kid up on the stage...the audience and the band had merged
by then and almost everyone was singing and dancing and having a great
time. You're having a good fuckin' day when you wake up with no clue who
Anti-Flag is and go to sleep having spent a show onstage with them and
with a new copy of "Die For your Government". I could recommend few band's
live shows more. Everyone I know loves them, crust punks, peace punks,
pop punkers, even emo kids. Don't miss them. |
Anti-Flag, Unseen, Reagan
Squad, The Vermin and Penfold @ The Euclid Tavern
Sunday, August 2, 1998
From: PlasmaCat@aol.com
Penfold, a local Cleveland
band opened the set with some of there fast hittin' punk, but the crowd
wasn't getting into it. Penfold was just a couple of high school kids.
I didn't get to see the Vermin, because i was hungry and went to McDonald's.
Unseen was next up. They were very fast and loud. They really got the crowd
fired up, and so started the pit, a small but fierce pit. Every single
band member sported a 1foot high mohawk dyed a wide variety of colors.
After Unseen finished there set, everyone packed in to see the main event:
ANTI- FLAG. But to everyone's surprise Reagan squad showed up instead,
the crowd was not pleased. Reagan squad was a punk/metal band that screamed
the entire time. The crowd wasn't liking it. After Reagan squad finished
up their short set. ANTI-FLAG finally made their appearance and opened
up with "Davey destroyed the punk scene." The croed loved it. There wasn't
much of a pit, just lots of pushing and crowd surfing, due to the immense
number of people packed into the tavern. A-F played a few more crowd favorites
such as: "Drink, Drank, Punk" "Die for the government" "Fuck Police Brutality"
(The few cops in the tavern didn't appreciate that!!!) They also played
an outstanding cover of the Clash's "White Riot' . A-F played with lots
of energy and enthusiasm. They finished up there set with "Kill the Rich"
during this song the crowd went nuts, people flying everywhere, jumping
off the stage, knocking other people over and just plain going crazy. The
crowd left this show quite satisfied, just like me. I will definitely see
Anti-Flag again! |
Down By Law, Anti-Flag,
Violent Society First Unitarian Church-10/19/97-Philadelphia, PA
By: Jeff Lockwood, In Music
We Trust Zine.
The basement of this fully
active church has been holding punk and ska shows for a couple of years
now. The sound system doesn't always work, there are no fancy stage lights,
and it gets really hot inside, but it is a great DIY place for kids to
go hear some great music. I've even seen a wedding rehearsal upstairs while
a punk show blazed along downstairs. But, enough about the venue. As usual,
we missed the first band. We entered the hot basement just in time to see
Violent Society. These guys have a hard edged punk thing going. It is not
quite hardcore, but there is enough screaming and angst to make one believe
that they are. I would have liked to have seen them play a bit longer,
but the energy that they put out in such a short time could have lit up
west Philly. The best part
of the evening had to be Anti-Flag. I must confess that I live in Pittsburgh
and I have never seen this Pittsburgh punk band. But, this was my big chance,
and the best part was that I had no prior knowledge of their gig tonight.
Anti-Flag is a very politically active punk band from Pittsburgh that has
been making some noise lately. Their style of punk has often been compared
to some of those early British punk bands. And that is not such a bad thing.
Besides the seriousness of their messages, Anti- Flag was a very fun and
entertaining band. Their set was way too delayed and way too short due
to technical problems. Down By Law is a punk band that has had a few different
line-ups since their self titled debut release in 1991.
Lead guitarist and singer,
Dave Smalley, is not only the founder of the band, he is basically the
only original member. Some might remember Dave from his old bands, DYS
and All. Los Angeles is the home of Down By Law and you could tell tonight.
This church basement was the farthest thing from an LA club. On record,
DBL has a rich guitar sound that compliments the catchy melodies of Smalley's
vocals. To make a short story shorter...the mix did not fall together too
well tonight. Part of the blame was the house sound system. It just did
not accommodate DBL. On the same note, Down By Law sound like they need
a good sound system or good production. More than half of the audience
left after the Anti-Flag set. Down By Law ripped through songs from their
new album Last of the Sharpshooters as well as older songs from their previous
three albums. DBL performed with a lot of emotion, but those emotions did
not seem to be shared with the crowd. I can't really say what the problem
was, accept that they were not very entertaining. |
jericho 98 benefit show
with pressgang, obs, b3s, human investment, anti-flag and aus rotten.
IronCity E-Zine ~~letter
written by an angry attendee
This was one of the greatest
shows i've been to. But it also sucked because of the atmospehere that
has taken over at the shows. I remeber when i first started going to anti-flag
shows, everyone there believed in the cause and liked the music. It was
like a commmunity everyone nice to everyone. But now, parts of the pittsburgh
punk scene has become exploited to the fact that i don't enjoy the shows
anymore. For example, anti-flag is one of my favorite bands. At this last
show, some people didn't give a fuck what pat had to say at the beginning.
"less talk and more rock" is what people started screaming. I also heard
from some kid who was like 13 standing next to me "i don't care what they
have to say, i just came for the music...why don't they just shut up they're
dorks?" You are the one who needs to shut the fuck up. Now i don't care
about who's punker than who or bullshit like that but when people start
screaming that that's not right. Punk does not give you the authority to
be a dick. Also, during b3,s i got punched in the fucking mouth because
someone started believed in moshing to it. Hello asshole. But what poeple
have to believe is that we don't mind people coming to shows, everyone's
the same, but if you're gonna come and fucking yell at the point and be
a dick and cause trouble for us to pick up, go fucking see green day. Now
like i said before i'm not into that whole who's punker than who bit. And
I'd like to see the scene grow but if people are gonna come and be rude
to the bands and fans and ruin it when they're trying to express their
point, go the fuck home. Justin Sane had to tell the crowd to stop the
stage diving because people were getting killed in the front. 2 minutes
later he had to say it again because little idiots didn't care and didn't
respect the band. And the bouncers that work at laga seem to be anti-punk
too. I was at a show there on valentine's day and some asshole jock bouncer
had to come and start shit about how he hates punk. Well that's good for
you but don't be a shithead and come tell me. To me, at least what i think
is that punk is a lifestyle. It's to do what you believe in and listen
to others too. Not to yell get off the stage or they must be gay for believing
in that stuff. One of the coolest parts of my night (besides seeing human
investment and a-f and aus rotten) was talking to people involved in a
ban-mcdonalds protest. what these people had to say was interesting and
after about a 30minute conversation i understood where he was coming from.
But then the dickhead upitt rentadicks came and started their shit(they
would have probably bin arrested if it was a ban dunkin doughnuts campaign)and
broke it up. Oh yeah the show. OBS opened up with a good set(they get better
each time i see them). Human Investment played next and i have one thing
to say...andy fucking rocks on bass. Pressgang followed and then the b3s.
Anti-flag next with a great set followed by the almighty aus rotten. It
just saddens me to see that the scene which i've supported and helped is
beginning to get like the other scenes where people just see it as a fad.
With all that to say please email me. I want to know what you think. If
you think i'm right tell me. If you think I'm wrong tell me. I just want
some feedback to see that i'm not alone. Send all mail, tell me if you
think i'm a fake too because i've gotten accused that and i don't care
that's great. The main purpose of this page was to help the bands not help
them get exploited and loose their origninal fans and point. Thank you
for reading all this. you rock. |
Anti-Flag/Reagan Squad/The
Kebabs ...1/25/97 Laga - Pittsburgh, PA
(originally printed in the
Carnegie Mellon TARTAN newspaper, 1/28/97)
Nashville has country, Seattle
has grunge, DC has hardcore, and Pittsburgh has punk. Doubt it? You weren't
at LAGA Saturday night, were you? The fledgling dance club took a trial
by fire with their first-ever live show, Iron City legends Anti-Flag's
release party for their new CD Die For Your Government. Together for the
past four years, Anti-Flag has been keeping the spirit of TRUE punk burning
bright, from their "question authority" stance, to their stripped-down
poppy 70's style music and no-frills stage attire. Die For Your Government
is a seventeen track monster of pogo-happy anti-establishment tunes which
glisten with possibly the loudest production seen in the city. There's
no posing involved, no Pennywise-style guitar noodling, and no faux-metal
hardcore. Anti-Flag is nothing if not honest, and the recent departure
of founding bassist/vocalist Andy Flag (who appears on the album,) has
been treated with the highest respect from the remainder of the band. Anti-Flag
is real.
Before the doors even opened
to the fourth floor lair of LAGA, the anxious line stretched down the stairs
and into the street. It quickly became apparent that LAGA is likely on
par with Graffiti as far as capacity goes, for an estimated 300-plus bodies
packed together on the dancefloor with room to spare only in the adjoining
side rooms.
The Kebabs opened the night
with a somewhat Fugazi-tinged blend of sparse indie-punk and received an
appreciative welcome. However, it was when Reagan Squad (promoting their
brilliant new 7-inch We'll Fight for What's Right,) took the stage that
the crowd truly came to life. The young local 4-piece, fronted by the charismatic
Dan-Dan, pumped their stripped-down DC-style for an extended set and quickly
had the pit rolling, often with more people onstage than band members.
In between sets the punters
were treated to a belly-dancing mooner and a kid who threaded a condom
through his nose and out his mouth. Was this necessary? Eh, who cares?
There's a saying that the
difference between alternative and punk is that the former cries to "help
the poor," while punk screams "Kill the Rich." Anti-Flag has a presence
and a togetherness honed by their two national and three regional tours
that makes you wonder why the hell the so-called 'punk' bands on the radio
aren¹t opening for them. With a wall of energy and sound as thick
as a concrete slab, LAGA shook as the entire floor metamorphosed into a
swirling mass of bouncing bodies. Never to be accused of pretentiousness,
they brought the one and only Spaz (of the 'zine P.M.S.,) to dance in drag
for "She's My Little Go-Go Dancer." The anthem "You've Got to Die For the
Government," and crowd favorite "Davey Destroyed the Punk Scene" incited
more stage-diving and feats of daring-do than seen in local dives (likely
due to the novelty of the four and a half foot stage/raised dancefloor.)
Hyperactive guitarist/vocalist Justin Sane introduced the tongue-in-cheek
classic "Indie Sux, Hardline sux, Emo Sux, You Suck" as "a song about us
taking ourselves too seriously." Strangely, the powers that be at LAGA
saw fit to test out their elaborate lighting system during this song, throwing
cheesy sunbursts and snowflake patterns across the stage, which prompted
drummer Pat Thetic to shout "Um, you could kill the lights now...." As
the set drew to a sweaty overdriven close, Sane's voice gave out, so the
crowd chimed in for entire songs.
And so ended the first triumphant
LAGA show. No injuries, no fights, just a show of Pittsburgh punk unity
- the way Anti-Flag likes it. You may have missed it, but Die for Your
Government is now available at the stores. Buy it, Pittsburgh was not founded
by Rusted Root.
-The Raphrat. |
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