Before heading over to Babylon for the Dwarves concert, Iain and I stopped into Record Runner to see if there were any albums worth buying. I found the Dreamtheater concert DVD for $26 and was about to purchase it before realizing that I’d have no place to put it during the concert. I also found out that The Dears have a new album out which I must consider purchasing. I later discovered that they will be performing in two days at the same place, another thing needing consideration.
The concert was great. I didn’t know any of the opening acts (Sack Lunch, Maximum R&R, and the Riptides), but they weren’t very good anyway. I never knew how tiny Babylon is and was surprised to find airplane seats and couches scattered around the large room. The size made for an intimate atmosphere and comfortable viewing, even for vertically challenged people such as myself.
While Iain and I waited for things to get set up, we pondered the things that would look odd at a punk show. Being Asian was the first thing that we came up with, although I did see one Asian girl and one person of African decent there in a crush of Caucasian faces. We agreed that someone with an iPod or recordable MiniDisc player would stand out from superfluity alone. One thing we couldn’t figure out was the poplutation of gay punks compared to gay non-punks. I joked about whether the more dominant male punk would make fun of his effeminate, emo listening boyfriend.
There were some Dwarves shirts and CDs available for purchase, but nothing I would consider wearing. Two thongs with the skull and cross boners logo were spread out on the table in a rather embarrassing way. Even a Blood Guts & Pussy shirt was there, and we were surprised to find that it lacked a single shirt pocket.
When the Dwarves came on, there was no sign of HEWHOCANNOTBENAMED, much to our disappointment, although I suppose it was better for the crowd of all-ages. The drummer and two guitarists we didn’t recognize, although one of them came on with sunglasses and a stocking over his head while the other went skins. Blag entered with a sleeveless “Slut.” shirt sans gloves or wig (come to think of it, I haven’t seen him ever wearing a shirt with sleeves).
Then there was Tazzie.
She came on wearing a dark purple-blue dress shirt with a sequined nurses mask. Her dark brown hair covered her entire face and at times she seemed like Cousin It playing bass. Partially through the set she took off her mask, unbuttoned her shirt half-way to reveal a lacy black demi, and flooded her hair behind her right ear when she got too hot.
It’s obvious that every member of the band has a good time on stage. Blag body surfs and is generally charged enough to keep the pit energized, just as the legends go. The guitarists all scream at the top of their lungs while hitting out the fast paced Dwarves tunes. Even the drummer is lost in a furious frenzy of adrenaline. But Tazzy rocks the fuck out. She gets so into the music that she rarely looks up from her guitar, her eyes half-closed most of the time. She spasmodically bangs her head at each beat and each aggressive bass line. It’s almost as if she’s experiencing an implosive surge of energy while she has a look of quiet concentration on her face as the rest of the band waxes chaotic around her. I’ve never seen a more attractive instrumentalist.
Plenty of great hairstyles were in the crowd, although some were rather shabbily done. The best one was someone sporting a pink mohawk with a razor thin center strip extending more than a foot outwards.
The entire set lasted more than thirty minutes, which must be a Dwarves record, and surprised us since we were expecting anything from three to fifteen minutes. Now I’ll be looking forward to the upcoming AFI concert, and possible Dears concert. Walking home on the bare city streets was nice and peaceful, away from the constant stream of noise and people. It was a good way to end off a tiring evening.
