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Punk music has had staying power for the last 25 years because of the size of its audience and its sheer energy. While Saturday night’s punk show at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Old Town lacked an audience, those who did attend were treated to three local bands, all of which had the intensity of an atom bomb.
The night started with a few technical difficulties, including lighting issues and fear that the microphone system would be dangerous.
“The show must go on,” Jennifer Lynn, co-coordinator of the show, said. In order to prevent electric shock, plastic gloves were placed on the microphones.
First up was the “street-punk” styling of Agent 13. Lead singer Cory Hooper screamed the lyrics to some of the band’s favorite Rancid and AFI tunes.
“We like to play covers to get the audience going,” Cooper said. “Even if they don’t like us, they’ll know the lyrics.”
The band, which includes Derek Johnson on drums, Jon McLeod on lead guitar and Ryan MacIntyre on bass, radiated pure energy during their entire set.
After Agent 13′s hour-long set, they passed the stage to the talented Low Five. Being an emo band, their set proved to be much slower and more graceful. To set the mood, the hall’s disco ball was turned on. One of the highlights of the set was the band’s excellent use of segues to connect songs.
“The worst night of your life is about to get a lot better,” lead singer Gabriel Lane said. “This is our last song.”
When asked about the turnout, keyboardist Caleb Chabot said, “We’re sending out applications to potential fans.”
Emo crooning turned back into speedy, hard punk when the members of Agent 13 traded instruments and became Lime Town Riot. Lime Town surely got the award for “Most Energetic Set,” due to singer Eliot Pride’s liveliness and stage presence. Jon McLeod’s bass antics, as well as his playfulness, added to the fun.
The set got a bit shaky towards the end when they resorted to playing the opening chords of “Sweet Home Alabama.” The shakiness turned into an earthquake when the lead singer’s girlfriend gave an impromptu performance of Sublime’s “Santeria.”
“I think that the poor turnout could have been due to the fact that there was a show in Portland with some more well known bands,” Lynn said. “A lot of people were going to that. Also, this was the first time that most of the bands performed in this area. They have yet to make a name for themselves here.”
The $5 cover charge was more than worth the fun night of music, especially considering all profits were donated to Coats for Kids. Sadly, the show brought in under $100.
Bangor Daily News