Dirtbombs Double Deluxe Weekend

The Dirtbombs; Be Your Own Pet, The Size Queens
@Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ – February 17, 2006

Their first gig since the big show with Blanche in Cleveland for Thanksgiving, and with Mick suffering from the flu, this was not setting up to be the best of Dirtbombs gigs. But all hesitations went out the window with the opening chords. Another furiously fun night with a decent crowd, and ending again with the “Granny’s Little Chicken” jam.

Mick and Ko of the Dirtbombs

Opening act Be Your Own Pet can’t have a collective age of more than…10. These teens play punk reminiscent of old LA hardcore bands with not one iota of similarity to contemporary teens playing “punk” (AKA whiny emo boys in make up). However, I thought they were a little hardcore for my tastes.

Be Your Own Pet

The first band of the night was the Size Queens, doing their first ever performance. The best way to describe them would be the Dave Matthews Band meets the Woggles with a hint of Soul Coughing. Take that for what you will but I liked it. Though it is worth noting that the lead singer said this would be the only show of the Size Queens as they’ve been contacted by someone saying they can’t use that name. There was a solo act when we got to the venue, some young kid doing the BBQ/Biram thing but with total metal screaming voice. Great guitar but the voice is overdone.

The Dirtbombs; Be Your Own Pet, Les Sans Culottes
@Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY – February 18, 2006

The first time the Dirtbombs played Southpaw, they opened up for the Raveonettes and made a hell of an impression on an audience that clearly had a bunch of hipsters who had never heard them before. 10 months later, the Dirtbombs returned to headline their own show, a Saturday night show no less, and they packed ‘em in like Dino used to do in Vegas. Maybe it was the sound set-up, maybe it was the venue and the night, maybe it was the booze, I don’t know…but this Dirtbombs performance seemed like the best yet. Of course, there is some bias here…I handed Troy a list of songs for them to play and it got the whole band laughing. I didn’t mean to make it seem like it was a demand for all those songs, just one or two…I got sick of shouting out for “Encrypted” all the time. Mick tried to play “Kiss Kiss Kiss” as requested (maybe in honor of Yoko Ono’s birthday), then he did indeed bust out “Encrypted”. (FYI, the Dirtbombs take single requests for free, 2 songs for 20 bucks, and a package deal for 50 but you must submit it in a writing…this is a joke, do not harass the band like I did). The other highlight of the night was, in place of the “Granny’s Little Chicken” jam, a rock-out on “I Can’t Stop Thinking About It”.



The Dirtbombs at Southpaw

Be Your Own Pet seemed improved from the night before, but again, maybe they didn’t change a beat, and it was everything else around them. Though they were subjected to some jerkoff ridicule from the crowd, so maybe they fed off it.

Be Your Own Pet

Les Sans Culottes (“The Without Pants”) really turned out to be the best kind of opening act for the Dirtbombs. A pop garage rock octet from New York but faking it as Frenchies, and whose lead male singer looks EXACTLY John Lennon (there’s the Yoko Birthday thing again), there is something quite fun about French garage rock. The cover of “These Boots Are Made For Walking” was icing on the cake.

Les Sans Culottes

All Photos by Roxxan Hanson