Charlotte goes punk with Bad Religion and Against Me!

Charlotte goes punk with Bad Religion and Against Me!

By: Sheila Walsh

Photos by Kevin McGee

Punk-rock icons Bad Religion and Against Me! brought out the punk in all of us on Saturday, October 8th at the Fillmore Charlotte.

(This show was standing-room only, according to Kevin McGee)

Opening the show was The Loved One’s vocalist Dave Hause, who brought his eclectic folk-punk music to the streets of the Queen City, playing songs from his own wheelhouse and tracks from past Loved Ones records. He is currently touring his most recent release, the “Home Alone” EP.

You can find all of his solo music here.

(Dave Hause said, “This tour is ripping through all the places it needs to rip through.” and dedicated his newest song “Dirty Fucker” to that “dirty, dirty motherfucker running for president.”)

Against Me! took the stage shortly after and as I write this, I’m wondering to myself, “do they even need an introduction?

Who doesn’t know who Against Me! is?” In case you fall into that small group that is unaware of the epic saga that is Against Me!, let me fill you in. This Florida-native punk group started making music in the late 90’s and have refused to slow down since. Outside of their music, usually packed with punches and lyrics worth a damn, front-woman Laura Jane Grace has made a name for herself and the band by advocating for LGBTQA+ rights. Surprisingly, though, the night was rather devoid of outright political speech on current issues.

Saturday night’s set was filled with songs from various albums released throughout their career, but heavily favored their two most recent releases, Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2014) and Shape Shift With Me (2016). Charlotte welcomed the quartet with open arms and a ton of sweat. If there’s one thing I know about the Fillmore, it’s that you have no chance of leaving the venue without even the slightest hint of sweat.

Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace mentioned her opposition to HB2 at the start of their set, then they ripped through their set with barely a pause between songs until the final one. Saying of “Black Me Out” that it “goes out to your governor.”

Although Bad Religion (Epitaph Records) haven’t released an album featuring new music since their 2013 release, True North, the LA-based outfit has been offering the audience a thoroughly-mixed set of songs during their Vox Populi Tour.

For those not fluent in Latin (including myself; shout out to Google for a quick translation), vox populi is Latin for “voices of the people,” a fitting name for this tour.

 The 29-song show was a sweet treat for the Queen City and a preferable distraction from the terror that has been affecting our streets and our nation. Who else would rather go to a show than think about the 2016 presidential election or systematic racism?

Bad Religion mostly kept the banter light, urging everyone to register to vote, quipping “Make punk great again.”

Bad Religion played many favorites from their vast musical resumé; with sixteen studio albums, how could they not play 29 songs? One of those songs came from their eighth full-length release, Stranger than Fiction, and featured Laura Jane Grace; what a treat it was to see LJG sing “Television” with the band!

You can find the rest of the tour dates here, and a photo gallery of the night here!