I drove down from New York to see this show, so yeah…I rock. Anyway, on to the music. With the aforementioned line-up, this was definitely not a show to miss. With three of my favorite bands on the bill, driving 5 hours was no big deal. ADAMANTIUM was also on the bill, but they broke down on I-95, and by the time that they got to the show, it was too late. Regardless, DEATH BY STEREO started things up with a bang, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as lead singer Efram, invaded the crowd and shoved the microphone into people’s faces. It was a shame they were opening because they didn’t play all that long, but every second that they played was appreciated. To describe their sound is not an easy task. Born and bred in the souls of Orange Country California, they combine equal parts OC Hardcore with crazy timing changes, metal influences, and a healthy dose of FAITH NO MORE stylings. Their live set was truly intense, and to see people on the East Coast know their lyrics and have fun singing along must have been a real honor for the band. The crowd anxiously awaited to shout the band’s name during the crucial point in the song “”No Cuts, No Butts, No Coconuts,”" and DBS played a new one called Hippie Holocaust, which no doubt, got the loudest cheers – can we say METAL???? With their new release coming out on Epitaph soon, these guys should be attracting fans all over the globe. Death by Stereo rules.

This show only got better as the one and only BANE took the stage next. Holy Crap!!! I’ve seen some great hardcore sets before when everyone in the crowd was trying to sing along, but this one might just top the cake. As I was taking pictures on the sidelines of the action, more than half of the 200 plus people in attendance were yearning to pile on and sing the day away. When BANE played “”Can We Start Again,”" it was a beautiful chorus of people screaming their lungs out to the most positive song out right now. I can only hope that those screaming along took the words to heart – I know I do. BANE sounds incredible heavy live, with far more depth than their recordings (which aren’t exactly poor), and during some of the faster parts, it seemed as if the whole Co-op would implode. BANE knows how to write a catchy, intelligent song that somehow transcends way above the rest of the hardcore world. People were jumping off the speakers, and bodies were flying everywhere – and there wasn’t even a stage! I sure hope my pictures come out well – but I already know that even if they do, they will not even come close to capturing the energy that BANE brings forth.

ANN BERETTA played next, and they provided a nice breather in between the hardcore hammers. Unfortunately, the crowd did not really get into them too much, but ANN BERETTA does not really have the stage presence, or the engaging songs to get the crowd stirred up. Many, like myself stood with their heads bopping, and admiring the crafy tunes served up. AB is a very talented band, and their drummer hits especially hard, but I think I’ll stick to their CD stuff rather than seeing them live – though it can’t hurt to check them out once again.

Okay, by this time, I was pretty darn tooting tired, and so was most of the crowd, but what better way to cure this lethargy with a set by the almight BOY SETS FIRE??? All I can say is wow. Wow, wow, wow. After missing this band live for the past 4 times they came around, I finally got my chance to scream my head off, and it was truly glorious. To see that many people in the Co-Op singing along to such meaningful lyrics is a great site to see and to be a part of. BSF is an instrumental part of the hardcore scene today that is not afraid to let their words fly, and to get their points across. It was cool to see no one in the crowd heckle the band when they talked about serious issues, and when it came down their pattened metal chugga chugga parts, BOY SETS FIRE brought the house down. By mixing an eerie emo type sensibility with some seriously heavy and tight riffs, BSF are a fiercy perturbed, high strung unit, ready to spark up at any moment. Their set was heavily mixed with old and new material, and if you haven’t picked up their new album, “”After the Eulogy,”" do so ASAP!.

After the show ended, I hung out with the guys in DEATH BY STEREO, so look out for some article type thing on those guys. They were extremely nice and funny too, so I fully endorse everyone to check them out. On an endnote, I would like to thank Jamie Deadguy for putting on the show even with all of the relocation problems, and for getting a new venue for it so quickly. It would have been easier for him to cancel the show, and I am grateful that he chose to go through with putting it on. It was also cool to see some good friends for the first time this summer. Thanx for the recorder Pablo, you’ll get it back sometime in August.