The Casualties – Can’t Stop Us – Review

dvd-thecasualties200The Casualties

Can’t Stop Us (Side One Dummy)
by Ewan Wadharmi

If you’re expecting a concert video, skip straight to the Japan portion of the tour. Halfway through “For The Punx,” pools of grievous bodily fluid appear on the stage in volumes sufficient to track footprints. Singer Jorge looks like a CSI rendering of swallowing a shotgun, his red liberty spikes at an explosive trajectory. Jake and Rick are in a manic state, attacking the mic where appropriate. The sound, camera, and editing are awful, making it the perfect punk document. When not singing along to every word, the excited fans loot the stage, making off with several sacred artifacts. The chaos of the live show is honestly portrayed. In the backdrop of Japan, you get a big, beautiful, and messy culture clash to add more confusion. Concert footage is punctuated by a somber visit to the Hiroshima memorial, and a cameo from UK Subs’ happy gnome, Charlie Harper.

The Mexico portion focuses more on tour stories, reducing the song performance to snippets. When security doesn’t allow fans in for free, a riot ensues. They light the door to the venue on fire, and the show is cancelled. At the make-up show, a dissenting punk is allowed onstage to debate The Casualties’ capitalist ways. Ecuadorian-born Jorge takes a walking tour of the local underprivileged, who seem unfazed by the band’s hardened appearance. In true punk style, the last show ends with Jake taking a bottle of rocks to the gulliver, and anyone still crying “poser” can suck Good Charlotte’s tit.
(www.sideonedummy.com)