Simon Rushworth
@ Newcastle 02 Academy, April 29 2010
There are very few bands in the world that can match up to The Bronx – the Los Angeles five-piece are one of the finest punk rock crews to have ever graced the airwaves.
There are no frills in their performance – just a straight 60 minutes of furious hardcore with a rock and roll edge that any of rock’s greats would be proud of. And during a frantic set they managed to create scenes that have not been witnessed in Newcastle for a very long time.
It’s not just the performance in their own sets either. They are also one of the hardest working bands in punk, highlighted by the fact that they supported themselves with their alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx.
Second support act Pulled Apart By Horses scuttled off but not before warning that the audience were in for an intense next hour as they promised The Bronx would “tear your face off”.
They certainly weren’t lying as The Bronx swaggered out on stage lead by the charismatic Matt Caughthran before kicking into Young Bloods. This prompted scenes of complete chaos within the confines of the Newcastle floor.
Caughthran continued his fine form informing the audience that he came to see “bodies flying, stage diving, dancing, slam dancing, just make something of yourselves tonight Newcastle.” The crowd responded admirably and the passion shown by the followers reflects on the values of The Bronx, who take pride in what they do without any sense of style or pretension.
Caughthran wanted to indulge the masses with short monologues and provided excellent comedy with the line “As Pontius Pilate said to Jesus Christ: Is everyone having a good time tonight?”
He then encouraged the audience to “give the security guards something to do” before Shitty Future – prompting an onslaught of crowd surfers and stage divers alike.
Caughthran regularly threw himself into the audience and The Bronx gave no time for the bouncers to catch their breath with fantastic versions of False Alarm, Six Days a Week and the driving Knifeman.
This was a celebration of music as Caughthran called it and on reflection he was right. The Bronx closed with the superb Heart Attack American which saw our frontman climb the scaffolding to the ceiling and without any hesitation threw himself to the crowd below.
A truly spectacular end to one of the finest hardcore shows in recent memory, The Bronx are one of those bands which need to be experienced to be truly believed.
Thomas Walsh