So I'm home for Xmas-- and I'm glad to say there's been some HC action here in Athens to attend. On the 26th, there was Keep It Real fest, organized by my good friend Apostolis of Disarmonic fame. The entrance was only 5 euro and so I met up with a crew of good kids and after a strong as fuck coffee and a long-ish drive, we went to the gig which was @ Rodeo club, the underground (literally) venue opposite Vila Amalias squat.
So OCB was cancelled due to illness or something and the Intruders (?) played, a surf-roackabilly band that was a bit of a poor substitude for a HC fest but I guess shit happens and when it does, the band that fills in is sometimes completely irrelevant with the rest of the bill. So during the Intruders' set I had the chance to eat loads of crisps at the bar and drink my coke, as well as talk to some friends I hadn's seen in a while.
Second up was Toxika Apovlita (Toxic Waste), a band that's been around for ages but this was the first time I would check 'em out. They came out strong with their punkcore/ska style, with a great sound--almost professional (props to the soundman of Rodeo). Hey these guys got an awesome drummer, keep an eye on this dude cause he's ripping sh*t up!
After the Toxika Apovlita set, I was bummed to see that a lot of people left the show. Seems like some arrogant punks were only there to see their friends band. I mean, you pay the whole ticket and then you leave the house before the show is over? That's not punk at all. That's plain crap.
Anyways, after a short break Disharmonic took the stage and they rocked the house like they've been doing for the past few years, improving their 'Madball meets oldschool' every time I see them. There is still some room for improvement, but isn't there always for every band out there? One thing I noticed is that Apostolis keeps changing his vocals until he finds his personal style, he sounds to me a little bit like the singer from Shutdown (Mike Scondoto if I'm not mistaken). Cool shit!
After this sweet show, it was time to roam around the streets of Athens which I hadn't seen for so long, listening to HC tapes with my friends in my car and grabbing a bite, and finally chilling at a bar before ending another cool, energetic and positive HC day!
So OCB was cancelled due to illness or something and the Intruders (?) played, a surf-roackabilly band that was a bit of a poor substitude for a HC fest but I guess shit happens and when it does, the band that fills in is sometimes completely irrelevant with the rest of the bill. So during the Intruders' set I had the chance to eat loads of crisps at the bar and drink my coke, as well as talk to some friends I hadn's seen in a while.
Second up was Toxika Apovlita (Toxic Waste), a band that's been around for ages but this was the first time I would check 'em out. They came out strong with their punkcore/ska style, with a great sound--almost professional (props to the soundman of Rodeo). Hey these guys got an awesome drummer, keep an eye on this dude cause he's ripping sh*t up!
After the Toxika Apovlita set, I was bummed to see that a lot of people left the show. Seems like some arrogant punks were only there to see their friends band. I mean, you pay the whole ticket and then you leave the house before the show is over? That's not punk at all. That's plain crap.
Anyways, after a short break Disharmonic took the stage and they rocked the house like they've been doing for the past few years, improving their 'Madball meets oldschool' every time I see them. There is still some room for improvement, but isn't there always for every band out there? One thing I noticed is that Apostolis keeps changing his vocals until he finds his personal style, he sounds to me a little bit like the singer from Shutdown (Mike Scondoto if I'm not mistaken). Cool shit!
After this sweet show, it was time to roam around the streets of Athens which I hadn't seen for so long, listening to HC tapes with my friends in my car and grabbing a bite, and finally chilling at a bar before ending another cool, energetic and positive HC day!
