Fun times with the Leeves and Big Attack

 Welcome back to the enlightening drudgery of classes. Hopefully, everyone had a fun-filled holiday.  The reigning champs of winter break included local loves The Leeves and Philly-rockers Big Attack, who rocked audiences both home and abroad this winter season. 

A burst of energy erupted at CFBG on Dec. 28 with some college rock from the Leeves, Friend House and Raving Knaves, along with some punk from Big Attack, who came down in a double-whammy Philadelphian invasion just before the decade closed. 

Raving Knaves kicked it off with a proto-punk-inspired set donning capes, cool shoes and the hype that got the audience moving before Friend House took the reigns. Under the red-spot-lit room Big Attack made their latest Greensboro assault while the Leeves fed audiences with a tasty new song, “Zombie Suicide.”

A bit of Ska flowed the following evening at Arts By Alexander as bands Skadoosh and Funny like a Funeral teamed up with Big Attack and The Leeves in the back of the eastern High Point art gallery. A small wooden platform, super bright lights and ponies on the wall greeted patrons, alongside a resonance of thirdwave and highschool.

Big Attack was on their game, not letting the show be deterred from a simple broken E-string, as vocalist Russel Golden changed that sucker without skipping a beat or a word. Finishing quickly enough to rejoin the string-section on the last verse.

The New Year adventure then pointed north to the city of brotherly love (and Big Attack). Greensboro house shows pick up the slack of regional rock-n-roll that have long since been dropped by most clubs, and the same rings true in the Liberty City. Especially at a New Year’s show in a skinny row-house with a bunker for a basement in the Temple University district.

Philadelphia hardcore hoodbillies, The Spades, rocked-out with microphones set way down-low and feed turned way up-high. A ferocious tri-force who, “literally kill [them]selves to bring you the fury you need,” set energetic pace to wind-down 2009.

Slightly less furious, but no less fabulous, the Leeves rocked out the bunker-basement just as the ball fell. With two-minutes left till midnight, an already sweaty Jerrod Smith baulked, “I think we can fit one more in,” before cranking into “Bitter,” a punch-in-the-face awesome song about living in a haze of tart negativity, as the title suggests. 

The last striking note strummed from Jerrod’s Jaguar guitar, skillfully in sync, as the clock struck 12:00am. 

Noise makers and amorous exchanges lofted among the sweaty crowd, freshly soaked from a rowdy fan during Big Attack’s set releasing the over-head sprinkler which spewed like New Year’s bubbly throughout the bunker.

A little bit of North Carolina rocked a little section of Philadelphia that night. A basement full of sweaty kids singing along to the Leeves’ cover of Spanish Bombs was awesome, but singing along with Philly strangers to ‘For our Friends,’ a popular song here in the Leeves’ hometown, was phenomenal; showcasing their tremendous appeal spreading along the east coast.   

Back in town, a fresh 2010 show at Seven-Day Weekend witnessed the triumphant return of Switchblade 85 and Friend House rocking out in toe-socks, Burger King crowns and 40 oz.’s. While touring, White Plains, NY band The Genuine Imitations described as, “true punk rebels [who]’ll go to Star Bucks, but they won’t say thank you when they get their lattés,” rung the alt-rock flair of The Minutemen, waved a dinosaur bag puppet through the crowd and danced the night away. Their enthusiasm was much appreciated, and noted, as The Leeves closed out the set with a ripping rendition the Descendents’ “Hope,” which left most of the audience hoarse from singing along with ferocity. 

On a more theatrical note, the new reel of Mixed Tape movies rolled across the screen, celebrating the glory of ‘90s cinema with Clerks an Fight Club. Some new improvements in the 2010 seasons includes a beer cart in the theater’s first row, eliminating the ambiguous last-call, and ensuring not one misses the flick’s ‘best part.’

So if winter break events forecast what this semester’s entertainment holds, than we’re all in for a treat.