The Muffs
Southpaw, Brooklyn, April 23, 2004
By Jim Keller
Published: May 6th, 2004 | 8:04am
After a five year hiatus, the Muffs return with their brand of poppy punk and a twinge of country twang. Armed with just one guitar, a bass, a drum kit and Kim Shattuck's demonic growl they packed Brooklyn's Southpaw with everyone from old school punks to haughty hipsters to indie kids and the just plain curious. The second Shattuck opened her mouth to sing and simultaneously launched into the first chord of "Big Mouth" the crowd roared and the ride began.
I stared in disbelief at the stage, the crowd, and even at myself as I
watched the Muffs rip through track after track of almost all of their
albums with the exception of Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow. It was like a wave of nostalgia passed over me, taking my heart and ears back to the early '90s and making me forget anyone was around as I belted out the words along with Shattuck, barely realizing that my inhibitions took a hike. As if that weren't enough, each time Shattuck let go of one of her trademark howls my skin tingled and I wished they would never stop playing.
Though the band hammered out the hits, they also offered the audience a taste of what's to come by peppering a few new songs throughout the set. The crowd ate up each new serving as though it were the main course and cheered when Shattuck said the new record would be out in August.
The Muffs ended their set with two encores that consisted mainly of songs from their first, self-titled album including the rock anthem "I Need You." I can't think of a better way for the ride to end than for Shattuck to sing "Something always snaps in me whenever you're near," letting a final ferocious roar fill the room and bringing the band to a screeching halt.
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more