Photos and Article By: Jason Robey
Punk rockers, Against Me!, brought their tour to the brand new Van Buren venue in downtown Phoenix on Sunday night to an enthusiastic crowd. The night kicked off with a 30-minute set by Canadian group, The Dirty Nil, who got the room whipping their arms and heads in a frenzy, with the controlled chaos of their loud and in-your-face rock n’ roll. From the opening riff of “No Weaknesses,” to the last chord of “Wrestle Yü to Husker Dü,” both from their Higher Power album, the trio worked the crowd with an incredible energy.
Next up, the Los Angeles four-piece, Bleached, returned to a welcoming Phoenix crowd for the second time this year. Vocalist/guitarist, Jennifer Clavin, channeled her inner-Joan Jett to bring out the best in punk attitude with pop sensibility, skillfully complimented by her guitar playing sister, Jessica, along with drummer Nick Pillot and the group’s new bassist, Kevin Boog. The band rocked their way around the flower-adorned stage through 45 minutes of some of their catchiest songs, such as the show opener, “Trying to Lose Myself,” “Keep On Keepin’ On,” and “Sour Candy,” from their latest album, 2016’s Welcome the Worms.
Following a short break, Against Me! took the stage like a storm, kicking off with “True Trans Soul Rebel,” from their 2014 album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, one of several songs written by vocalist/guitarist, Laura Jane Grace, chronicling her own gender transition in 2012. Grace led the Florida-based four-piece through an unapologetically loud set of more than twenty punk rockers, mostly from their seven albums.
Bassist Inge Johansson and drummer Atom Willard kept a tight and thunderous rhythm through fan favorites like “I Was a Teenage Anarchist,” from their 2010 album, White Crosses and “Delicate, Petite, & Other Things I’ll Never Be,” from their latest release, 2016’s Shape Shift With Me. Guitarist James Bowman rounded out the lineup, shredding his way through the band’s energetic set. The band closed the evening with the crowd-pleasing, “Thrash Unreal,” one of several songs from their 2007 record, New Wave.
Catch Against Me! on tour this fall.
