A particular quandary for a band named The Boos – when you chant their name at a show, how do they know you’re not, in fact, “booing” them? I doubt they would care either way. They’re punk rock like that. Not straight-edge, holier-than-thou punk rock, not choke-on-the-message punk rock, and definitely not melodic, radio friendly pop-punk rock. For a proper punk reference you’d have to go back to the late ‘70s, to bands like the Damned and the Rezillos and even the Dead Boys, guys without an agenda but with enough grit and guts to make the most of their listless boredom by creating one big messy racket.

Oh suburbs, you know how to fill young men full of angst. And if that angst had a specific voice, it would probably sound like lead singer Aaron Hinkle, a voice that was ripped from Tom Waits’ throat and then run over by a couple dozen semi-trucks. And then covered in acid rain. You get the point. Add in his scuzzy guitar tone, those pummeling, primal beats provided by drummer Dima Krivonovskiy and those dirty bass lines via Jordan Hibbs, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for some fabulously grungy rock n’ roll.

If you’ve never seen them live before, their Halloween show would be the perfect place to start.

Jesus & the Dinosaurs, The Boos
Gordon’s Music and Sound
October 31, 2014
7pm, $5 (but a full costume will get you in for free!) (all ages)