Lollipop Magazine

The Wrens – at The Middle East – Review

May 1, 1996

The Wrens packed the upstairs stage at midnight on a Sunday and the crowd was still there when I left. The live show had an edge like a broken knife blade.

The Showcase Showdown – with Rancid, Rocket From The Crypt at Avalon – Review

May 1, 1996

The Showcase Showdown are Boston’s best punk band, sounding like a hyper-kinetic cross between the Dickies and the Dead Kennedys.

Chum – Dead To The World – Review

May 1, 1996

Lame, commercial, heavy rock with the most annoying singer. This guy’s high-pitched rock star stylings put the final nail in the coffin for this.

The Gotohells – with Tunnel Rats, The Cretins at The Rat – Review

May 1, 1996

The Gotohells rock my retarded ass into a wife-beating frenzy. These racing-circuitbreakers prompted me to pour motor oil in my hair by the gallon.

Chisel – 8 AM All Day – Review

May 1, 1996

Ted Leo’s voice plays around in the upper registers that Pete Shelley can’t quite manage these days. The fluid rhythm section cracks like Eton rifles.

The Dandy Warhols – with Love and Rockets at the Paradise – Review

May 1, 1996

The Dandy Warhols seemed almost oblivious to the audience. This is music you don’t just hear, you experience. “It sounds like the end of a great orgasm.”

Cannibal Corpse – Vile – Review

May 1, 1996

George Fisher (of Florida death metal powerhouse Monstrosity) is a better vocalist than Chris Barnes, but the band has opted for a more Slayer-like approach.

The Cretins – with Tunnel Rats, The Gotohells at The Rat – Review

May 1, 1996

The Cretin buzz has been brewing for a while, and now they’re on their way to pop-punk knighthood.

Buttsteak – Men Who Pause – Review

May 1, 1996

So quirky they’re bewildering, except all the songs sound the same. Nonsensical dadaist lyrics, spiffy harmonies, knowin’ how to work the same song structure.

Rocket From The Crypt – with Rancid, The Showcase Showdown at Avalon – Review

May 1, 1996

The two-man horn section fit right into place alongside the heavy percussion, loud guitars, and pounding bass. Festive, frat party psychobilly punk.