The Tossers, The Vacancies, Brimstone Assembly
The Living Room in Providence, RI
September 19, 2007

The Brimstone Assembly had images of the old honkey tonk bars with rowdy crowds and the band being protected by chicken wire that I've been reading about lately. They had an old timey country honkey tonk feel while throwing in punk rock and roll elements. It seemed to me that they would get the same reaction playing a dank bar with Hank Williams as they would sharing the stage with Social Distortion. The five musicians in the band were all really talented and played very well together. They covered Waylon Jennings and Motorhead; good covers, both.

The drummer of The Vacancies looked like a non-jacked up version of Prison Break's Dominic Purcell (played by Lincoln Burrows ). I spent a good amount of their set watching the Cubs win and trying to remember the name of Purcell's character name, all the while listening to the band for the first time. They were decent, sounding similar to The Explosion. They had some catchy songs, but nothing that really hooked me in. The Vacancies are a band that I would enjoy watching as a supporting act, but I can't see myself ever listening to their albums for an extended period of time.

The Tossers played a spirited set of Irish themed punk music. The whole band was a lot of fun to watch, especially frontman Tony Duggins, who seemed a bit on the intoxicated side, enhancing the entertainment value of the band while still playing a tight set. They played a good amount of songs from both Victory albums (which are the two that I have), and they did a great cover of "Camptown Races." I left at midnight, after watching them play for about an hour. I really enjoyed their set, but the early morning grind forces grave decisions.

Written by: RF
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