Reason to Fight, the 86'd, Fed Up, Refuse Resist, The Reviles
Club Hell in Providence, RI
May 16, 2009

Though the crowd started out pretty small, there was a tight knit group of shaved heads, flight jackets, suspenders and other skinhead attire. It seemed like everyone there could have kicked my ass forwards and backwards blindfolded, despite their undenying friendliness.

I was stricken by the Token Entry shirt the singer of The Reviles was wearing. They always seemed underappreciated, and I was glad to see them get some love. The band played mid tempo punk with a strong rock and roll feel. There was a sense of Oi, but it was small. While there was nothing overly special about them, they had some catchy hooks and a good energy.

I had just started eating a cheeseburger outside when someone said that Refuse Resist had started playing. "Crap" was the garbled word that came out of my mouth, competing with various cow products, bread and condiments. I wolfed down the rest of the burger and headed inside as they were covering "Rise Above" by Black Flag. The people outside enjoying the BBQ (the red looking sausage was great-especially when mixed with a hot dog) missed a really great set, full of hardcore Oi sing alongs. Not enough people were inside, but that didn't stop the band from playing an impressive set.

Fed Up was okay. Greg from Reason to Fight did an admirable job filling in on bass duties, especially considering he had never practiced with them before. They played hardcore punk with some pretty good breakdowns, but I wasn't feeling it. Maybe next time.

The 86'd had some songs I didn't like that much, some songs I really liked and three amazing covers. Any band that plays "A.C.A.B.," "Riot Squad" and "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight" is guaranteed to leave the crowd wanting more, and they did just that. The crowd had a good time with their whole set, which became a cloud in my head.

Reason to Fight had the crowd at their fingertips, singing, dancing and just having a good old time to their blue collar hardcore blend. People were trying to get to the mic as often as possible during their many sing along parts. One of Providence's best hardcore bands, they lived up to that billing with a strong set, even though I left a little early (missing the last three songs) in hopes of catching the other show in time (I obviously missed all of Oxblood).

Written by: RF
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