Fuck It Dog, Life's A Rip-Off

Sold out show at Trix club! FIDLAR, the garagepunk sensation from California is on tour and stopped by in Antwerp to give us a pieace of their mind. At least, what was left of their minds.

I arrived halfway into the Mozes & The Firstborn's set. Great band, not my thing though. Great vocals and excellent guitar riffs. The last song was dope. The song before that was kinda lame. I guess that evens out? You bet it does! Great rock and/or roll from the Netherlands, worth your attention if you're into that!

Cheap Drugs played the other support slot. I can't help but feel they were picked because of their name, although they did fit quite well in the line-up. The hip dudes next to me hated it, I liked it. It was an alright show. Singer Tom said he wasn't pleased with it, but ok. They're a great band, their demo slays the shit out of most 2013 hardcore punk and their aggression is admirable. I've said it before, I'll say it again: be angry all of the time.

FIDLAR was welcomed warmly. The crowd went nutzoid from the first distorted chord til the last. Starting out with their hit song Cheap Beer, they got everyone dancing around like crazy instantly, shouting along to the inevitably catchy chorus "I - DRINK - CHEAP - BEER -SO - WHAT - FUCK- YOU". Of course, everything about that song and the setting was ironic. For one, they were drinking Maes on stage. Maes is not a cheap beer. Secondly, Trix charges fucking €2,20 for a beer. Holy fuck, right. Cheap beer was nowhere to be found unless in the idealistic lyrics of those 4 bums playing their shabby instruments on stage. Deep shit.
Luckily, I don't go to shows to drink cheap beer, I go there to watch bands. And FIDLAR fucking shredded. Catchy, distorted, raging through the songs like madmen. Amazing live show.
Of course, there was the bass player who shouted "thankyou" in this very annoying tone after every song, and the dude in the crowd who couldn't help but yell out "FIDLAR" or something between the songs, smoking in the pit and stuff. That was lame.
On gender politics: I thought it was cool how the dude said Whore isn't a mysogynist song, cause "dudes can be whores too". Tumblr is stoked.
Another cool thing: Descendents cover of Suburban Home! Rad! Very well executed as well.
They played a whole bunch of songs, some I recognized, some I didn't,  but all were received very well and played with the passion of 4 drunk/stoned losers who spend their days listening to good music, skating, surfing and haging around. Those are good premises for a band. Even if it leaves you laying on the floor with your guitar, trying desperately to get up. That's just what happens.

Anyway, awesome show.
The only problem I have with FIDLAR is, of course, my incomprehension of how they became so popular.
It just reminds me of this:

Fuck Pitchfork. Fuck Humo. Get a clue.