Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Live Shows: Supersuckers, The Downhauls, TJ Welch & The Wasted, and Speed Teeth, Sammy's Patio, Revere, MA


Supersuckers are just one of those bands I try to see every year when they make their September swing through the area. This year they skipped The Middle East Upstairs and played Sammy's Patio at Revere Beach. Despite them also playing Turner's Falls, which is closer to my house, I chose the Sammy's Patio show because seeing Supersuckers at Revere Beach just felt right. Plus, Sunday night's show also included The Downhauls, and how could I pass that up?

Supersuckers have a compilation from 1999 titled How the Supersuckers Became the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World, and every time I see them, I once again believe that they are. The band has been playing an amped up version of no nonsense rock and roll occasionally mixed with country for decades now, and the trio have a shocking number of fantastic songs to choose from. They opened with "Pretty Fucked Up" and just took off from there. "Creepy Jackalope Eye" is always a crowd pleaser, and they even went all the way back to their 1992 debut The Smoke of Hell for "Coattail Rider." My favorite part of all Supersuckers shows is what they call "the wonky part" where they play songs they don't always play. It helps keep things fresh, and you're guaranteed to hear songs you never thought they'd play. (Even when singer Eddie Spaghetti forgets the opening words of a song...) The band is also still letting guitarist Metal Marty play a few songs from his excellent 2023 solo album during the set. There are a lot of bands out there that people continuously rave about their live show, but somehow the Supersuckers remain the most underrated band out there today.

The Downhauls were one of the most perfect bands to open for Supersuckers. Scream Into the Void was a favorite from 2023, and their blend of punk infused rock and roll meshed perfectly with the evening. It's just the kind of music you expect to hear played in a dive bar, and Sammy's Patio certainly fits that description. Plus, The Downhauls are just a fun band that are obviously having fun while they play. When they announced their last song was a cover, I assumed it would be their version of The Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter," but they broke out a cover of Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)" that was both more punk and completely faithful of the original.

TJ Welch & The Wasted feature TJ Welch of The Welch Boys and The Blue Bloods. Another perfect band to open for Supersuckers, they cranked out a set of their songs, songs from The Welch Boys, and a Stooges cover. No nonsense punk inspired rock and roll was the theme of the night, and they certainly fit that description. Another band without pretention that were just a fun live rock band, they went over quite well with the crowd.

Opening the show was Speed Teeth, a newer band that was playing one of their first live shows. Having the first slot on a three band bill with legends can be daunting, but Speed Teeth were more than up for the task. They played songs about crappy Allston apartments and playing music for twenty years, so they also fit in with the night perfectly.

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