The New Warden / M.O.T.O / Mobina Galore / Lucky United
Midway Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA 9/8/18
Lucky United, led by Jenn Lombari, is first to play today.
I’ve always seen them as a trio but they’re a duo today.
With Jenn on guitar and vocals and Jennifer Yates on drums.
I’ve always enjoyed Jenn’s brash, expressive performances and have long considered her one of the best songwriters that I write about.
Today they lead off with “Million Hearts,” that predicts, “You’re gonna break a million hearts,” which is my case is more like in the billions! They’re playing some new songs but a lot off their last great release, “Self Titled,” as well, like “Million Hearts”, “Come And Gone,” plus others.
Their style consists of great emotional, gritty, passionate tunes backed up with energetic, almost skate punk rhythms.
Without the bass the set gets a bit rocky at times, (Jenn flashes the James Brown hand signs of fines to Jennifer during one song,) but when it comes together the moments they hit are pure magic, pure joy and pure bliss to me.
They end their extremely, exuberant set with the boldly, bittersweet “Two Good Shoulders.” A song that states, “We always have a good time.”
And I always do have a good time seeing Lucky United, just like I did right now.
Mobina Galore, play next, and are a band from Winnipeg, Canada and Gadzooks! They are a female duo of guitar and drums, too!
And I notice the drummer has a kind of cast on her ankle, but Dylan the soundman mentions it’s her high-hat foot. (She relates to me her ankle is, indeed broken.)
But it doesn’t stop her or them as I can tell this band is very tight, plus the drummer is phenomenal. and I can tell from listening that this is a very experienced touring band.
Their style is a mix of melodic punk with alternative with the excellent vocalist/guitarist singing in a guttural, gutsy growl.
When she slips into her higher register she reminds me a bit of Courtney Love of Hole, which makes me happy.
But everything about their set is great and the crowd is obviously enjoying them. They’re playing in Rhode Island tomorrow for the first time, invited by Lucky United, for a Punks For Pets benefit, a great cause.
They end with their song “Fade Away,” that has a terrific, headbanging groove. I hope they pass through this way again, soon.
M.O.T.O., who I’ve never seen before, takes the stage and is practically a symphony orchestra being a three piece. But with only one female who plays bass and sings back up. (Where were you when the other two bands played, lady?)
But they have a strong vocalist whose every word I can decipher, make out (while I’m making out with some dame I just met by the jukebox!)- very loud and very clear! (Refers to both.) He reminds me a bit of John Sox from The FU’s, but this is not a hardcore band- Oh, no! Shudder the thought! This is a band that has that early eighties Boston garage/punk sound down pat along with lots of great songs that combine the simple genius of The Ramones along with The Dictators hilarious humor.
M.O.T.O is loose and sloppy and kick ass, simultaneously- all over town!
One tune simply goes, “2,4,6,8, Rock’n’Roll.” Another has the lyrics, “I’m gonna get drunk tonight, all by myself,” and not many more. One is called “You Don’t Have To Be A Dick About It,” is great, but if it was about me, I’m sure, the slight against you would be small.
My favorite song by them is a blatant rip off of The Modern Lovers, “Road Runner.”
The entire lyrics go, “Who cares about the stars in People (magazine) that you see in the street each day? I wanna dance, I wanna dance, I wanna dance to the radio.”
Yeah, that about sums up life in its’ entirety to me. And this sums up my writing of maybe, the best live set that I’ve seen this year.
Good Golly, Miss Molly- I love this band so much! I want to see them again!
The New Warden are up to take it out with nary a female in sight. They’re a melodic punk trio with a pretty good batch of tunes up on their bandcamp.
But I would never guess that with today’s performance.
Are they playing so bad? No, not at all, they seem to be playing great. But it’s so goddamn loud it’s hard for me to discern what is going
on, on stage.
I have to stand outside the club to listen and before you say, “Well, the old man can’t handle loud music.” The twenty-five year old soundman is standing with me, saying the same thing LOL. (Guitar and bass do not run through the PA here and he did suggest they turn down.)
But I would recommend checking out their bandcamp to get a better sense about them instead of this live review.
And really, if you are caring about the stars in People magazine or on the silver screen- you gotta grip on yourself and get your ass down to the rock’n’roll/punk club and shake it to the beat of this vile, disgusting punk music, the illegitimate child of rock’n’roll!
It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
(Slimedog)
