Dance Hall Crashers – The Live Record – Review

Dance Hall Crashers

The Live Record (Pink & Black/Fat)
by Scott Hefflon

Most people know what the Dance Hall Crashers sound like by now. For those who don’t (and I can’t think of how you coulda never stumbled across them), they’re THE BEST two-girl-fronted ska/punk band there is. The vocalists are so distinct that when they contribute to a friend’s record (which they’ve done repeatedly), you can totally tell it’s them without a shred of doubt. And when you hear the two of them together, man, it’s just magic. There’s nothing like it. And while I recall some kinda backlash as they went more “rock” and less ska, well, they got offa Moon (Moon Ska USA, whatever) and signed with Fat, thus ensuring their records’d make it to stores, to radio, and to ‘zines. And hell, DHC were practically a household name while on a label that could barely afford to ship promos, so that really says something for the strength of a band, right? So while I’m not such a die-hard that I can tell ya the song title within five seconds, nor what record it’s from, I can recognize and enjoy one of their songs at twenty paces.

Another thing I like is the subtitle for this simply-titled record: Witless Banter and 25 Mildly Antagonistic Songs of Love. That pretty much sums it up right there, and I respect the hell out of their honestly. Practically every hit is here, and there’re a number of covers as well, all well-produced and very live. Highly recommended.
(PO Box 193690 San Francisco, CA 94119)