Concert Review: B Boys Play Dada At Union Pool
Can punk music capture a mind? That was the hidden question posed in Union Pool as the B-Boys played punk-rock tracks from their upcoming album DADA, out June 16. The record was, apparently, inspired by a dream, in which, not everything made sense, but yet found interconnection. From language to society, B-Boys uses DADA as a giant challenge that says everything and nothing about how we work as humanity, which is perfectly fine and sensical to grand scheme of music.
As they have marveled in interviews, “Not everything need to makes sense!”. From blankets of noise interwoven between Brendon Avalos guitar and Britton Walker drums to a tennis game of back and forth vocals between lead singer Andrew Carr and Avalos, B Boys played to the goofiness and gumption of punk-rock. As a genre that mutually stands up to “BS” while also making fun of people who even stand, punk rock aims for the paradox of being human, and B BOYS’ Dada is heading to be an album for that paradox. Songs like “Energy” and “Fear It ” headed straight for the negative, positive, and wasteful sentiments we pour into our lives/ little universes. Meanwhile, “Walking” and “Another Thing” go for the lack of investment one can have they slip into an abyss of apathy. Thus, whether you are investing in your life for the better, worse, or not at all, B Boys are writing music that tries not to analyze that dynamic as much as display it. Lyrically, B Boys capture the dailyness of boredom, self-destruction, mischief, and love as emotions that poke and prod at people inside like sentient cleavers. The “cleavers” being emanated by arrangements that summon within people the most “punk-rock” thing you can do in a punk-rock concert: MOSH PIT!!!!!!!!
There in Union Pool, of which their concert hall is a small, little western adorned saloon, a mosh pit formed as people were eager to push and maybe even punch the stranger next to them in honor of the frustration that punk seems to bring out of people: both physically and emotionally. I have always found THE MOSH PIT to be the most fascinating thing I would never want to be apart of. Something I, mutually, understood and also distanced myself from. Yet, as their set progressed, their chords or rather “dis-chords” ached and anchored in people’s hearts. The crowd could not help but feel ignited by the punk tracks to do exactly what punk was made for; rage and rave. As they smiled and swished into their neighbor, people felt a sense of physical and emotional catharsis at someone saying “This life can be boring, stupid, silly, and fun, but it can always have good music!” For me, that was the core message of B-Boys performance. In some ways, I like to think it is a message they share, as well. Each man played their instruments with an emotional dedication that, like the crowd, would move them to forcefully sway to their side as if music was pushing them. With Andrew Carr at the vocal helm, his voice might be the most inviting one of “punkish” chaos, which I appreciated. Whether you love punk or not, I enjoyed their concert for being one to let out frustrations and enjoy. For More Information On B Boys Click Here.
