Robyn Writes

What the hell happened to Green Day?

This morning, I stumbled downstairs, got myself a cup of coffee and sat down to MTV2 for five minutes of procrastination before I had to go and get ready for the day. It was on this very sofa that I am sat upon now that I first witnessed Green Day’s latest single, 21st Century Breakdown. And wow, did it suck. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t been keeping up with Green Day. After their second break into the mainstream with American Idiot (I’m also counting Dookie because it really did shoot them to relative fame, but not enough to ruin them), I was left disappointed and betrayed. It wasn’t a bad album entirely, aside from the singles, but it lacked that sense of fun I’ve always associated with Green Day. It seems that Billie Joe found some eyeliner and got all interested in politics and well, I’m sorry boys, but I just wasn’t that interested. This, coupled with that video where the kid goes to fight in Iraq and you’ve got Green Day being just a bit too serious. I don’t know about you, but I like my pop-punk with a sense of reckless abandon, thank you. 21st Century Breakdown is merely an extension of the political cry for attention, right down to the Banksy style video.

Quite frankly, it’s upsetting and unfortunately very typical of how most bands try and hit the right kind of ‘attitude’ once they hit the mainstream. 30 Seconds To Mars did it with title song A Beautiful Lie and that ridiculous video in the Arctic (isn’t having your band videoed ‘playing loudly’ on ice caps contributing to global warming?), NOFX did it with The War On Errorism and even Armor For Sleep tried it as soon as they got a little bit of recognition with third album flop Smile For Them. As soon as they can introduce a bit of politics into their work, you know a band’s got it made – well, as long as they aren’t a political punk band to begin with. My point being, Green Day were never political. Green Day were never serious. Green Day were never concerned with their hair. And now, all three of those dominate their music, and well… it sucks!

I decided that Green Day and I were no longer friends when I first heard The Saints Are Coming. The fact that they collaborated with U2, who are potentially the most safe and boring band on the planet, just showed that they had nothing of their former self left. I had stuck by them through American Idiot; I learnt to play Jesus Of Suburbia, I sang along to St Jimmy, but I mocked the very notion of the ‘rock opera’ they had put before us. I thought “Please, nobody but Queen can attempt anything as grand as that!” but no, Green Day gave it a go, and it tarnished what otherwise would have been a great album. Well, that plus the Iraq video. It’s not like Green Day aren’t allowed to be serious – one of the most depressing songs they’ve ever written, Redundant, is one of my favourite songs of all time – but come on, it’s not like they could ever inspire a teenage population to rise up and take on the government, and that’s all they’ve got backing them these days. The thing is, I want to like 21st Century Breakdown as an album. There are some standout tracks on it, like Lights Out, as directed to me by fightclubsandwich. It’s like, they’ve grown up, they’ve got better, and then they shit all over it with the singles they put out and the bland, generic riffs. At least each song used to sound a bit different, but now, I can’t tell the difference between half of their singles. 21st Century Breakdown in particular uses a real mashup of different styles in an attempt to make it more grandiose and it just doesn’t work. The oddly placed solo, the weird shift in tempo… it’s almost as if they’re trying to reinvent Jesus of Suburbia into a song that’s half the time.

I really hope that the next Green Day album is a return to form, I really do. I don’t want to end up hating these guys as much as I hate Fall Out Boy these days (that’s an article for another time) because I believe that Green Day can be good. Those hidden gems on each album are evidence of that. I just don’t want to have to search for diamonds in the rough any more.

Live: North Lincoln – Robbin’s Well Leamington Spa, 12/10/09

It turns out that my university has a little society called ‘Punksoc’, where people sit around, talk about punk and go to a lot of shows. The idea of this intrigued me, being a fan of such things, so I signed up right away. Monday was the first gig social, and we went to nearby town Leamington Spa to see North Lincoln at Robbin’s Well.

There were three awesome things about this particular gig. The first was that it was an actual basement show. Sort of. The Well has a downstairs area for gigs which is pretty much like a basement in that everyone crowds around the band who are playing on exactly the same level as you. This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing something like that, so it’s totally a basement show. The second was that it was North Lincoln’s last tour, and we got to see them in such a small and intimate environment. I will admit, I’d never heard of North Lincoln before (I really should follow record labels more considering they’re on No Idea) or any of the other four bands on the lineup, which brings me to the third awesome point – five bands for a mere £5. I am fed up of paying ridiculous prices for gigs. In January, I’m seeing Henry Rollins, and paying £22 a ticket for the privilege. It’s just not punk rock any more. So five for £5 is pretty damn good, even if the drinks were fairly expensive.

First band up were Caves, a fairly melodic punk band from Bristol. We came in late and missed about half of their set, but from what I could tell, they were pretty good. Nothing particularly original, except that their lead, female singer had an exceptionally gruff voice for a girl. Not a bad thing at all.

Second on were Big City Plan, hailing from Birmingham. It’s difficult to compare them to anything else, but I seemed to think that they were like a less hardcore No Trigger with rougher vocals, which is still pretty awesome. These guys were one of my favourite acts that night, with their tuneful, energetic songs receiving a great reception. Really good fun, and their song ‘Paint The Town Rad’ is a must listen. They’re also playing again soon, and I’ll definitely be seeing them again.

Next up was James Black, a folk punk artist from London. Now, I like folk punk, and I like it a lot, but every song here sounded exactly the same, both lyrically and musically, and not in a good way. I found him to be fairly bland and he didn’t really fit with the rest of the line up. Folk punk is tricky to get right, and you don’t need to shout all the time to do it. It also wasn’t too interesting to watch, even though I’ve found someone with nothing but a guitar to be compelling in the past. Personally, I’d give this guy a miss.

The Amistad, a relatively local band, were on next. The Amistad have this real charm about them, probably because they talk lots in between songs and are genuinely quite funny. The songs are good too. Very catchy, with the potential to become real anthems. They probably didn’t sound as good as they could, due to the vocalist having taken over bass duties and not really being able to play it. He managed pretty well though! Great energetic punk rock and one I’ll definitely be looking out for.

Finally, North Lincoln took the floor. I really have only one word to describe their set – amazing. They had a really laidback approach, and knew that they were having fun, which in turn meant we were having fun with some awesome music. Their gruff punk anthems filled the basement well, playing really old stuff as well as the last few songs they wrote. Everybody in the crowd was there for the same reason – to see North Lincoln – which sounds like a strange and obvious remark, but too often, I go to gigs and see people there because they were dragged there with friends, or because they wanted to see the support, or because it’s something to do, and it made for an incredible experience. All I can say is that it’s a shame North Lincoln won’t be touring again, because their wonderfully melodic punk needs to be heard live to be truly appreciated.

So this is the new year (resolutions of 2009) by Nox

What is a new year’s resolution? Why do people seem to make such a fuss over it? Moreover, how come the only time we ever hear about these resolutions besides at New Year’s is when they’re broken?


Well.

A New Year’s resolution is a goal a person sets for themselves, something they want to improve or achieve in the year, after reflecting on the previous year and realizing their mistakes, priorities, or what they would like to better in their lives or themselves. Usually, there are the generic ones such as cure cancer, bring world peace, stop world hunger, etc., but here at Two Beats Off we’re not trying to win a beauty pageant. Therefore, here are our New Year’s Resolutions!

Ripper:

My New Year’s resolutions are always completely and utterly ridiculous. Some of the ones I achieved last year were getting a better haircut and completing a Final Fantasy game. This year, I might be a little more serious though. This year, I aim to make sure this zine keeps going one way or another, because well… TBO is kinda cool. There’s the usual ‘get fit’ one, because no matter what, I’m always unhappy with my appearance. There’s a special condition for it – being female. I want to make sure I get into a good university, so actually studying would be a good one, instead of relying on just sheer luck and talent. I want to finish a novel this year, considering I have about three half finished ones on the go. And, because I can’t not make a geeky one, learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons properly!

ninthandash:

I always find it difficult making resolutions, but here goes. This year, I want to start doing things again. I feel like I put things off too much and waste a lot of my time. I want to make good use of it. I want to look back and feel like I’ve achieved things. I’m also going to try be less of a commitmentphobe, and stop pushing people away because I’m scared of where it might lead. I don’t want to be a coward. Finally, I want to get a job, go to uni, and I want to start a band. Here’s to ’09, baby.

Nox:

I have a few things I would like to do this year. Mainly, I plan to let go of one particular hopeless cause I have been clinging to for too long. On a different level, I’m going to try to be less introverted. I think I’ll take more chances. I decided I play it too safe and honestly, it gets quite boring. This year I would like to see Chicago, New York, and Denver. Also, I plan to be less of a heart breaker. It’s bad karma you know? Seriously though, I will be more cautious around others. Finally, a quick run down of lesser things: read a lot of books from my list, sing louder, write more, keep my straight A streak, keep up with my friends better, and hopefully get a baby turtle named Ringo.

fightclubsandwich:

fightclubsandwich was unavailable to comment at the time, so we’ve decided that we’re going to give her some. Whether she likes them or not. So, we reckon that she’ll want to start or join a punk rock knitting circle and make jumpers filled with revolutionary stitching, be able to co-ordinate better with Ripper when they go to gigs, start a band and write some kick ass fiction.

soufex:

I’m not an advocate of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve always held the belief that if you really want to change yourself, you’ll change it now, and in my experience, most people manage to keep their resolutions for about five minutes. However, it’s nice to feel like you have a clean slate and a new year for a ‘new you’… or at least a ‘slightly improved you’.

Now, I am an angry person, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Henry Rollins makes a living out of being an angry person. Anger is a good thing, it’s a healthy thing. Good things have come from being angry; revolutions have changed the world we live in!

The problem is, too many of us – myself included – don’t use this energy and passion constructively as often as we could. It’s far too easy to sit around and complain at length and volume about something we disagree with, but not use the opportunity to change or better ourselves or the world around us.

So that’s my New Year’s resolution – not to be a less angry person, but a better angry person!

But, we decided to get you involved this time, and we’ve had some pretty cool responses. So, here’s our readers’ New Year’s resolutions!

Richard’s resolution:

My resolution is not to make a resolution. That way I can break it immediately and not have to worry about it, while having a laugh at all resolutions’ expense.

Hab’s resolution:

To learn to control my drink. I think a few people can vouch for that!

Alice’s resolution:

To bag myself a surfer. It could happen, you know.

Ben’s resolution:

1) Quit masturbating (I failed this one on the 2nd January)

2) Get the girl, get the job, get the car

3) Get fit for summer.

Hannah’s resolution:

Find a rich man at university… or marry Fernando Torres!

Mike’s resolution:

To quit that nasty oxygen habit I have… no, really, I want to learn to be more
understanding of people this year.

Heather’s resolution:

I want to learn to dance, because I’m a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing and I think it would be sweet if I could pull off some of those moves. Also, quitting smoking would be good.

James’ resolution:

Read more books. It might be a smart idea, considering I want to go to Oxford University!

Megan’s resolution:

I want to find myself a wench. It’s been too long since I had a girlfriend!

Apparently, My Chemical Romance have returned.

I used to be an MCR fan. I was never in the MCRmy and I didn’t follow Gerard Way and his crew around like a lost puppy, but I had the shirt, I knew the songs, I enjoyed what they had to offer. When The Black Parade came out, one of the most terrible excuses for a concept album ever, I lost faith. It was such a mediocre effort from a band which had such potential. The first two MCR albums were visceral, exciting, interesting. They were well crafted and highly intelligent. The Black Parade, in stark contrast, was a steaming pile of self righteous shit that did its very best to be Queen. That said, most people disagree with me and it shot MCR to catastrophic heights. The only time I have ever seen them live was on The Black Parade Is Dead! tour and I won’t deny that they put on a very good live show. Now, the band have announced a new album and put up some hella artsy trailer for it. And it kind of made me think, what’s the real reason that I don’t like this band any more?

Sure, I still like (and listen to, on occasion) the first two albums. But I just can’t bring myself to touch The Black Parade, despite there being a couple of gems on there, where MCR show us what they once were and still are capable of. And to be honest, I think it’s the fans. I am not one to complain about going a bit mental over something – we all know that the minute AFI or Transformers are mentioned, I turn into a little ball of spaz, spewing out a load of pointless knowledge and opinion to anyone who will endure it. But I’ve never got that obsessed. I’ve never followed a band on tour and I’ve certainly never made them the centre of my universe, and that’s what I’ve found with MCR fans – they go unnecessarily gaga and it terrifies me. When I saw MCR at the NIA, I was surrounded (and crushed) by obese fourteen and fifteen year olds, wearing badly applied makeup and the kind of clothes I am desperately trying to get rid of on eBay, screaming to Gerard Way that they want to bear his children. On the new 30 Seconds To Mars video, a bit pops up saying “Yes, this is a cult,” and Jared Leto is wrong, quite frankly – the diehard MCR fans are a cult. I suppose a few years ago it was fashionable – if you were a bit ’emo’ (and I can’t stand what that word has been bastardised into), you got into all this Black Parade stuff and went around pretending you were dead in stylish military jackets. A lot of those kids will have forgotten about MCR and will have now moved on to Rihanna. It’s the natural order of things. The rest will be going batshit insane over this news. Am I jaded for only caring a little bit when my favourite band releases an album? Jaded I may be, but I’d rather be that than caught up in the hysteria.

The trailer itself is… interesting. Take a look, see if you can spot Grant Morrison:

It’s certainly different. It’s very stylish. It’s not exactly clever and it might be a bit pretentious and confusing, but it’s fun and it is highly ridiculous. It shows that My Chemical Romance have retained their sense of humour – after all, the video for I’m Not Okay is brilliant. It’s also got echoes of a new beginning; is this a more grown up MCR? Has all that stuff Gerard Way’s done for The Umbrella Academy mean that he’s now a better story writer and if this is a concept album, does it mean it might actually be good? It hardly answers any questions. But it’s a teaser trailer, that’s what you want. A taste, just a little excitement. That said, it’s hardly making me piss my pants in anticipation. All I can think of is how they’ve been playing Borderlands and Fallout 3 too much and laugh at the little kid who’s part of ‘the Killjoys’. The most important part of it is the music; after all, that’s what we’re waiting for, right? We haven’t been waiting for Mikey Way to dye his hair blonde (although, he does look damn attractive) or to see that Frank Iero has put on just a little bit of weight. We’ve been waiting (if we’ve been waiting at all) to see if the songs are going to be any good and well?

…It’s a bit mediocre, isn’t it?

It’s faster than Welcome To The Black Parade was, it’s a bit pop-punky, it sounds fun, but it’s not exactly an epic. And again, here is where my faith started to return and then ran off again, because I know, deep down in my heart, that MCR are capable of so much more. I want to believe that this is going to be a good album, that this will be MCR’s glorious return to my CD rack. But, I’m just not grabbed. My heart didn’t skip a beat. The lyrics sounded like typical MCR fare, but no line stood out. I don’t want this band to fade into mediocrity, not after they came so close last time. MCR were one of my gateways to other bands that I now adore – I’m not ashamed to say that I started listening to the Misfits after seeing Frank Iero wear one of their shirts (it was first album MCR though, any later than that and I’d have no credibility at all). They weren’t a vital part of my teen years but they helped make them a bit more interesting. I really wish that I had more to say about this song but, I just don’t. The mere fact that I don’t kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

Live: Never Say Die! 2010 – O2 Academy Birmingham, 31/10/10

The minute I stepped through the door, I thought ‘I shouldn’t be here’. It was Halloween, Kitteh and I thought that we should do something because neither of us could do our usual respective Halloween activities and we chanced upon Parkway Drive and Comeback Kid touring together. “You wanna do it?” “Hell yeah I wanna do it!” and the tickets were booked. But stepping through the doors, into a barrage of scene mullets, fat girls with too much eyeliner and brightly coloured band t-shirts (seriously, what happened to black?), was almost too much to handle. I guess I forgot that hardcore is a bit ridiculous these days.

At the merch stand, Kitteh got major props from Bleeding Through’s super awesome keyboardist Marta (“That necklace is soooo cool, where did you get it?!” “To be honest, Claire’s… the Halloween stuff is surprisingly good.” “No way!!”), I picked up a bitchin’ Comeback Kid shirt and we kicked back, relaxed, paid far too much for a VK and a coke and waited for the next band to come on, having already missed We Came As Romans, who I’m sure were very good as they had dinosaurs on their t-shirts. Your Demise, who to my surprise were British, came on and we ventured on in. Despite being just the second band on, they had a lot of support from the audience who two-stepped and floor-punched their way into a frenzy. Your Demise are great hardcore – absolutely full of energy with enough melody to actually make a song while still being heavy as fuck. They’re not too serious, but it was clear that there was a lot more depth than just ‘mosh mosh mosh’ in their sound. War From A Harlot’s Mouth were up next, but they didn’t leave a lasting impression. They were vaguely akin to Caliban, so in other words, heavy German metalcore. You get the picture.

Emmure, however, were something incredible. Glorious deathcore hailing from various parts of the US, they shocked and awed the crowd with an amazing performance. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri has a voice that sounds like a bowel movement in his throat – deep, distressing and potentially cathartic. Emmure are an insanely intense band; every song is like a direct assault. There’s no bullshit either; the band’s there to play, not chat to the teenies on the front row. I wasn’t in the mosh, but I believed it to be brutal, much like the sound coming out of the speakers. It’s impressive stuff, so definitely check them out if they’re over again.

Bleeding Through are a band that Kitteh and I have been waiting to see for a while. And oh man, they were definitely the heaviest band of the night. Marta is just so impressive to behold – the headbanging whilst rocking the keyboards was so intense she probably got some kind of concussion. The songs from the latest release sound amazing and the band were on top form. They’re so typically American though – Brandon says thank you after every song, everything’s posi until they tell us they’re enemies of everything and I dunno, it gave the set a bit of a weird feel. However, it’s forgivable because Brandon is ridiculously beef. So so beef.

Comeback Kid are also in the same boat – they’re a band I’ve been wanting to see for absolutely ages. And they delivered, holy shit they delivered. They also played a lot from their latest release and the new songs sound great; that perfect mix of crushing yet melodic hardcore that Comeback Kid are renowned for. I got a bit too excited when they played Broadcasting. The sound wasn’t as good for Comeback Kid as it should have been – the levels were a bit off, but nevertheless, it was an exciting set. While they may not be quite as fun to watch as bands like Your Demise and headliners Parkway Drive (who to be fair, are just mental), they’re certainly captivating. Not the best set of the evening but pretty damn close.

The best set of the evening, truly, must be reserved for Parkway Drive. It may have been their first time in Birmingham, but they owned the venue entirely. The set was divided into two halves – they played songs from Deep Blue, the new album first, and then a mix from Horizons and Killing With A Smile. When I say two halves, I literally mean that – a quick break in the set to change the back drop, put out some palm trees and to try and make it feel a bit more like Byron Bay. Dinghies and beach balls all inclusive too. The sound was sorted out entirely and every note in Winston’s growl was audible all the way to the back. Parkway Drive are excellent showmen – there was a mini circle pit on stage, they got the crowd going insane over an Australian football and you felt like you were part of something grander. The inclusion of older songs in the set was pretty impressive, especially Romance Is Dead and Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro, which sounded amazing. As a devotee to Killing With A Smile, I was happy. When I say I’ve never seen anything quite like it, that’s not hyperbole, that’s fact – Parkway Drive are just insane live, and insanely good at that. The new giants of hardcore are here.