Neon Piss, Nervosas, Rough Patch

November 9, 2012 • The Legion of Doom, Columbus, Ohio

On Friday I learned a very valuable lesson about going to shows in basements: they're nothing like going to shows in bars. This show was advertised at 8, I arrived at 7:50, and then waited for nearly two hours until it actually started at 9:40. Considering that this was an almost last-minute decision for me to attend, that was kind of a bummer. Anyway, three punk bands played, and it was alright. Not one of my favorite shows in recent times, but it was still enjoyable.

Rough Patch

I'm gonna be totally honest here—these guys were not very good. Well, they were alright. It was really generic '70s-ish garage punk, pretty amateur stuff too, and it just wasn't very exciting. Apparently they were having an off-night anyway (based on a comment from the bassist I heard afterwards), and I hope that's the case. I guess that for a few kids having fun, it was exactly what I should have expected.
4 • Silliest Equipment Malfunctions Award

Nervosas

This band was probably my favorite act of the night, with some really fun songs and damn impressive playing that wasn't simply blasting three chords. Their music has something of a slight "horror punk" aesthetic to it with some very aggressive drumming and surprisingly intricate guitar lines. I dunno, maybe it helped that it wasn't hard to top the first band, but I really liked them. Enough to pick up their 7" that they were selling, too. So definitely check these guys out.
7 • Most Impressive Eyeshadow on a Dude Award

Neon Piss

I don't really know what to say about Neon Piss... I think it's cool that they are touring all over (they're from San Francisco) and managed to stop at some tiny basement in Columbus, of all places, though they are still pretty obscure. They were pretty good, I suppose, but more of the same garage punk style that I'd already heard the rest of the night. Granted they have a slightly more "progressive" style (in the sense that they weren't afraid to play quietly once in a while; I got kind of a more-primitive-Propagandhi sort of vibe) which worked really well for them, but maybe they are the kind of band that you have to be already familiar with before the live show works for you. I did think the Adolescents cover to close off the night was a nice touch. Overall, not fantastic, but definitely enjoyable, and maybe I'll look into them again later.
6 • Best Untrue Stories About Dropping Acid Award