Last Wednesday (April Fool's Day to be exact) I had the pleasure of seeing The Bronx perform at Richard's on Richards as part of their first Canadian headlining tour since their new album "The Bronx III" was released. And judging by the crowd, the LA hardcore punk band definitely picked the right city for it.
Who knew that Vancouver had such die-hard Bronx fans? If you've never seen these guys before, I suggest you get to their show next time they visit Vancouver. Personally, I think they are way better live than on their album, only because they are such tight musicians when you see them live.
And the crowd alone will make you love their music. Soon after the show started, everyone in the venue was going nuts, singing along with all of the lyrics, fists in the air and stage diving.... Ah yes, let me comment on the stage diving.
At one point in the show the lead singer, Matt Caughthran, layed down the 3 basic rules for stage diving; Quickness, Accuracy and Style. Immediately after you could see bodies flying off the stage. Many had the quickness part down but really lost out on the style and accuracy, which provided some seriously good laughs from all of us watching.
That being said, Matt proved that all three of these rules can be present - while stage diving into his own fans he still maintained his presence, stature and steel lungs as he trusted the crowd to carry him around. This guy is a true frontman, joined by an explosive team of musicians.
Apologizing for "The first 3 or 4 years of our career we ignored Canada" Matt spoke up for his band mates. "And now we see it in a different light. This place is a beautiful place for music. Thanks for having us play."
The performance made me remember why I love going to good live shows. It's that energy from a truly dedicated band shared with an equally dedicated crowd that makes it all worthwhile.
A true fan shows off his ticket that he got autographed while meeting the band at The Morrissey before the show.
You can check out The Bronx's third album "Bronx III" and their upcoming release (Fall 2009) of their mariachi album called "El Bronx" here: www.myspace.com/thebronx
