AFI

@ The Palace, Hollywood, CA 
10/04/01
Review By: Scott Harding 
Pictures By: Scott Wulfesteig

          So once again I’m hurrying down to the Palace to check out a great show and I’m fucking late because of the damned traffic in LA. We got there just in time to catch the end of Pistol Grip and man I was pisted! Why? Because they made Pistol Grip play first! If I had it my way these guys should have been playing right before AFI! It’s been hard for me to find a new punk band that I like because it seems these days that the bands I have been coming across all sound like a stupid blink emo band and, well that just isn’t my style! But not Pistol Grip! These guys are all straight out punk rock. It’s no wonder Shawn Stern of Youth Brigade signed these up on his label BYO. So, I took in the few songs I got to see of Pistol Grip and made the best of it. It was great to see these guys play the Palace in front of a sold out crowd because they most certainly deserve it. They took the stage as if it were no big deal at all, striking every chord with perfection and pumping up the crowd. And like I said, it’s a shame they didn’t play later because more people would have been there to see them. If you haven’t checked these guys out then hop on over http://www.pistolgrip.net/ and see what you have been missing.

          So next up is No Motiv. I’ll be straight out honest here and tell you I don’t really care for this band. I’ve seen them many times and they just can’t change my mind. aren’t the type of band I like. They are the type of band I was talking about earlier that sounds like your typical boring emo band. Yeah it might sound harsh and all but hey, I’m just giving you my opinion so take it for what it’s worth. Sure they make me wanna fall asleep when I see them, but I will say this, the crowd seemed to like them. I mean they weren’t going ape shit or anything but the chicks there were going nuts over them. Anyway, check them out if you like that kind of music but for me, well, I’ll pass.

          Tsunami Bomb was the next band to grace the stage. To be honest I was very surprised to find that they were playing right before AFI. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like these kids but last time I saw them was at a small club out in Anaheim. Yeah I’m talk’n about Chain Reaction. But it was nice to see this talent get what they deserve! Tsunami Bomb is a very melodic band that has all the tight musicians it takes to make a band take off. And seeing their progression over the last year I have a feeling that before you know it KROQ will be doing what they do best to bands, over playing them so much it makes you wanna barf. But all bullshit aside Tsunami Bomb are an excellent addition to anyone’s cd collection and I have to admit the singer is very pleasant to the eye. The whole band has the energy that keeps you going and wanting more from them as they tear through their set, unlike that band that played right before them. I was only able to watch half their set because at that time I headed back stage to interview AFI. So do yourself a favor and check out Tsunami Bomb, ya just might like them.

          So I’m heading back to interview AFI and it was pretty cool to see how even Vandals front man Dave was there to support the show. I headed upstairs and sat with Davey from AFI to grab a few words with him before he took the stage. The interview went very well so CLICK HERE if ya wanna hear it. After the interview I headed back out to the main area of the Palace to get a good spot to watch AFI. By this time the place was shit packed with eager AFI fans. I swear, every time I see them I notice that more and more people are there to see them as well. So the fog machine kicks in and like a blast of a cannon AFI takes the stage. Now for those of you that live under a rock and haven’t gone out to see AFI live let me tell you this, I have seen thousands of bands at many different venues and AFI has to be the most energetic live act on earth. There isn’t a moment of the show where any one of them is just sitting still. And they did good on their promise they posted on their website by playing songs they haven’t played live in a while including a great rendition of a song by the Cure. Yup only AFI could redo a Cure song and make it sound even better than the original! They played a good set for at least an hour and then played some more. There is not much really more I can say about AFI besides they are slowly taking the world by storm. One thing that worries me is that I heard KROQ is starting to play them so if I were you I would go seem them before all the blink fans catch word of them and bombard their shows with their cheezeyness.

Links of interest:
• Interview we did with AFI
• Interview we did with Pistol Grip

- Scott Harding

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