Washigton, DC’s Priests eviscerated the stage at U Street Music Hall last Thursday evening with a raw barrage of songs in true punk rock form and showcased some seriously classic punk influences.
I’m not going to bullshit anyone, I am almost halfway to being a cynical old man—at least in regard to keeping up with new and flourishing underground music scenes. The fact is, I love it when I am surprised by finding a band like Priests, and it turns out I could be totally wrong about a real absence of punk rock on this planet. In fact, there is significant strength within the punk scene at the moment and there’s a healthy dose of it right in DC’s backyard with Priests.
The band was on my radar but I had never had the chance to see them perform, and I have to admit, I loved watching Priests live and I was truly taken back with the overall tone of the show. The powerful vocal screams and snarling rants from singer Katie Alice Greer were addictive, and the audience’s reaction to the band as a unit was something that doesn’t come easy—it’s earned.
And Priests’ performance merits every bit of it. It felt like, sounded like, and looked like a classic and passionate punk show, and I’ve seen my share. (The only thing missing was blood and broken teeth on the floor, but who needs that anymore?) Priests’ music is strongly punctuated, serious in concept, and topped off with surf-punk guitar leads and pummeling drum and bass parts, yet there’s actually something simple and fun about the music.
The U Hall show served to promote Priests’ latest release Bodies and Control and Money and Power, released in June of 2014 on Don Giovanni records. The album is available on vinyl and I highly recommend picking up a copy. So far, “Doctor” is my favorite track, but the entire album is consistent and raw. I also scored their 7″ “Radiation” b/w “Personal Planes” which is pressed on high quality vinyl.
Protomartyr from Detroit had the honor of being the second opener of the night. Singer Joe Casey stood fairly still with beer can in hand for his entire set, except to release giant screams to the receptive audience.
PRIESTS
PROTOMARTYR
