Deaf Club was coming through Phoenix AZ on Saturday night. They were originally supposed to play The Valley Bar, and at the last minute it was canceled. Big ups to Delivan from Pig City for picking up the pieces last minute and combining an already ongoing show at The Beast in Tempe. This was a night of pure D-beat, crust, hardcore punk, grind, and experimental.
The first band to kick the night off was Yellow Cake, a four piece band from Phoenix AZ consisting of Raul on guitar, Zach on bass, Genesis on vocals, and Mike on drums. Yes, the name can throw you off and if they did this intentionally I applaud them. It’s definitely a D-beat crust sound which reminded me of a mixture of Flux of Pink Indians and Disrupt. This being their first show I was impressed and can’t wait to catch them again.
Up next was Cobarde, who I’ve seen a couple times now and they are always impressive. They’re not just another D-beat band lost in the mix. Fronted by the highly talented Laura aka Baby Doodoo, they also throw in that old school punk/crust into the mix. Her talent is far and wide with being an amazing tattoo artist and talented singer. Matt on drums is pure energy, throwing everything he has at his drums. You can’t help but hear Manny’s musical presence on guitar and Raul tearing it up on the bass. This 4 piece is not short on talent.
Before we get into Deaf Club, Träumer from Los Angeles was third to take the stage. A 4 piece punk band from Los Angeles California featured Pabs on vocals, Brenda on guitar, Dom on bass, and Kris on drums. They’re a straight up hardcore punk band that doesn’t fail to impress. They’re fast, loud, and don’t give a fuck about what you think of them, which is everything I love about punk music. This is what a punk band is supposed to be and I love them for it. Every single member in this band is highly talented and unforgiving. Check them out on band camp.
https://deafclub31g.bandcamp.com/
Deaf Club is Justin Pearson (The Locust, Dead Cross, Planet B), Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC), Scott Osment (Weak Flesh), Jason Klein (Run With The Hunted), and Tommy Meehan (The Manx). To best describe Deaf Club I would say it’s like watching the opening scene to Nocturnal Animals while on a meth binge covered from head to toe with blood and spit. As soon as Deaf Club hit the stage it was pure insanity filled adrenaline with blood, sweat, and tears flying everywhere. This band just doesn’t stop and pushes every button you have with no guilt or concern, which is exactly what every Deaf Club fan needs in their life right now! There wasn’t a spot in this venue that the band didn’t explore. This show was a journey into hell and back with Justin Pearson being our tour guide. You couldn’t find a better vocalist for this band. He commanded that small stage at the Beast and the entire venue. From crawling on booths and standing on the bar to hanging from the ceiling of the venue, all while yelling and growling throughout the entire set, he even took a minute to make fun of a naked micro dick Gene Simmons which is the artwork for their new EP called Bad Songs Forever EP. Brian Amalfitano is and will always be a beast in the music scene. The amount of respect I have for this musician is huge. He does this back bend with his guitar that is unnatural and one that only a processed human being could pull off. If you’re ever in the San Fernando Valley check out his record shop The Midnight Hour! Scott Osment holds down this whole project and is a living and breathing unnatural beast on the drums. He’s currently in several projects and I honestly don’t know how he holds all of them down. His talent alone on the drum set would explain it. Jason Klein is holding down the bass duties and not only is he talented but if you pay attention to him you’ll be cracking up. Given the stage last night was small he was pushed to the back. At one point during a break between songs he just said “screw it I’m going to sit down for this” and played while either sitting on a chair or his bass amp, I couldn’t tell which one. He was just thrashing away on his bass without a care in the world. The last member and guitar player Tommy Meehan is pure destruction and can care less about safety with his body. He was literally flying around everywhere. He crawled up on the bass amp and then on to the full guitar stack to fit in the tiny space between the head of the amp and the ceiling. At one point he ran into the crowd. This one time he jumped up into someone’s arms and then was barely being held up when 4 other guys jumped in to hold him up. Let’s just say this trust fall didn’t go as planned. As soon as he sprawled across the other guys’ arms he came crashing down with his back on the edge of stage. Tommy popped right back and acted as if nothing happened with blood dripping down his face. I also have no clue how he cut up open his forehead but then I wouldn’t expect anything less coming from this band. If you’re thinking about skipping out on this tour when they come to town, just go ahead and slap yourself across the face and then go!
Deaf Club on tour now.
BAD SONGS FOREVER TOUR
May 6 Vegas, CA @ Backstage Bar
May 7 Tempe, AZ @ The Beast
May 8 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
May 9 Tulsa, OK @ The Whittier Bar
May 10 Dallas, TX @@ Rubber Gloves
May 12 Austin, TX @ Oblivion Fest
May 14 San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
May 16 El Paso, TX @ Madre
May 17 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
May 18 Los Angeles,CA @ The Smell
