The Damned and the Avengers
As a prelude to the highly anticipated No Values music festival taking place in Pomona, California, several bands performing at the event decided to do intimate shows in advance as a way to build excitement and enhance the overall celebration. With numerous incredible options available, I chose to attend the performances of the Damned and the Avengers. I was particularly eager to see the Avengers, as they had somewhat faded from the punk scene over the years and were one of the bands I thought I would never have the opportunity to see live due to their absence. My interest in the band was sparked through the engaging podcast ‘No Dogs in Space’; while I can’t recall the exact episode, I distinctly remember that a significant portion of the discussion focused on the Avengers and their crucial influence on the political punk movement.
Since this was a smaller show, I figured I would forgo the usual format and just talk about the bands and what I liked about the respective performances.
Starting off with the Avengers, I embarrassingly admitted that I did not do my homework ahead of time, as I was kind of in a rush because of the No Values music festival that was scheduled for the next day. However, I will say, and with a bit of surprise, that I was genuinely impressed by their energetic performance. Their overall showmanship made it seem as though they never really took any significant time off from performing. The band as a whole was incredibly active and full of energy, clearly putting their all into the show and engaging with the crowd. The frontwoman, Penelope Houston, did an exceptional job of getting the audience pumped and maintaining high energy throughout the entire set. Overall, I really enjoyed their unique sound and sincerely hope that they can release some new material soon, as it was kind of disappointing to see such a limited catalog for a band with so much potential to become even greater with time.
The Damned was another band that I had heard about only in passing and through some cool game soundtracks, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Overall, their performance was rock solid, and they definitely put on a fun and engaging set that I won’t forget anytime soon. The highlight for me was the moment they played the song “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”; their performance was mesmerizing and truly just a sight to behold. While they might not always be at the forefront of the punk rock scene, The Damned undoubtedly left a lasting impression on me, and I look forward to exploring more of their music in the future.
