The Dicators NYC; Deniz Tek; The Fleshtones; Livids @ The Bowery Electric

The Dicators NYC; Deniz Tek; The Fleshtones; Livids
@ The Bowery Electric
May 30, 2013 - New York, NY

The Dictators NYC, more or less Manitoba, more or less the Dictators, AKA Handsome Dick Manitoba and some skilled cats (the likes of which include of course Ross The Boss of Westchester and Dean Rispler) have not only brought back/resumed/carried on their punk goofball ways, they're doing it in the theme of half-nostalgia/half-Jane-Jacobs of Punk New York. "Avenue A" addresses this outright but in hindsight their greatest song, "New York, New York", now rings with a cultural immediacy - and yes you just read "cultural immedicacy". That's punk, no?

It's nice to see Deniz Tek play before a crowd (last time, a storm kept the people away). Still backed by those creepy (that's a compliment) twins, and equipped with a new record, Tek blasted through some classics (including "Aloha Steve and Danno)" before wrapping up with blues harpist D. Longlegs, who was so good I earnestly belted out "Sheeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiit".

Well it only took my whole life but hey I finally saw the Fleshtones. They were good. "Pretty Pretty Pretty" makes for a nice companion to "New York, New York". Brooklyn and Bronx native anthems of fun-tinged despair. Heyyyyyy.....

Seeing Livids for the third time in as many months, I can now sing along to the noises that come out of E. Davidson's mouth (I'm told they are "lyrics"). It's fun to see the leader of the New Bomb Turks run around with a band that people don't know much of and are the young whippersnappers of the day, but it speaks to the ongoing fun & fury of this music. Also, if you take what Handsome Dick said to heart, if you take a look at the crowd, and the neighborhood, you might very well decide these are indeed the final years of a time gone by. But damn if Livids aren't reminding us that it can still go go go.