The Casualties rocked the Metro on the 24th to two stories of skinny jean wearing, eyeliner drenched, spiky haired Chicago youths. From the beginning of their hour long set to their final number, the band seamlessly transitioned from song to song, giving an eardrum shattering, head banging performance.
During their final number, lead singer Jorge Herrera took off his sweat covered shirt revealing a Che Guevara cutoff and holding a scarf above his head. Herrera launched the scarf into the mosh-pit where hundreds of fans wrestled for ten minutes after the band had left the stage, battling screaming girlfriends, rowdy entourages, and even muscled bouncers, for one young man to hold the frayed and tattered trophy above his head and scream out “Yea! Casualties!” Talk about a loyal following.
The Casualties' music is a mix of angry anthems, hardcore punk rock, with just a touch of “I-hate-my-parents”; just the type of music 16-year-old, pre-pubescent, angry, disenchanted youths could relate to. While it's generally not the genre I would plug into my IPod, I have to give the band credit for their nonstop energy, powerful vocals, and incredible stage presence. With ‘Meggers’(Mark Eggers) on the drums, Rick and Jake on bass and guitar (respectfully), and Jorge at the mic, these four men played with an intensity and a wildness that even an argyle-sweater wearing concert goer such as myself could appreciate.
The Swellers opened at the Metro, energizing the restless crowd, and Less Than Jake rocked as the headliner, but as the stage crew set up for The Casualties, it was clear who the audience wanted to see. The Casualties immediately began playing as soon as they took the stage, and didn’t come up for air, or to rest their hands, until their final number. This band definitely eats their Wheaties.
As one fan with spiked orange hair (one of Jorge’s old looks as I am told) informed me, “The Casualties are old school, hardcore punk.” Hardcore? Yes. Old School? Beats me. What I can say is that amidst the extraordinarily fast drum beats, finger-crippling guitar chords, speaker-breaking bass, and vein popping vocals, this band screams (literally and figuratively) that they are a force to be reckoned with on the hardcore punk scene. They have an incredibly loyal Chicago-based following, so expect the next time they roll into Chicago to be just as rocking as this time around.
Fans of punk will appreciate this band’s style and power. For the rest of us, if you’re having a really bad day and need one song to verbalize what you are feeling, check out The Causalities’ new CD “We are All We Have” available in stores now. Songs like “Carry on the Flag,” and “Depression-Unemployment Lines,” will definitely help you get all your aggression out. For more information on this band and to upcoming tour dates check out www.myspace.com/thecasualties.
