Red Fang & Teen Mortgage
Red Fang - Gramercy Theatre, July 20th, 2023
About to embark on an East Coast / Midwest tour with Dinosaur Jr. and Clutch, Red Fang preempted the run with a trio of East Coast headlining shows. While we doubt anyone would’ve been bummed to have the aforementioned acts sharing the bill, you know a band is bringing it when they’re the headliner - especially in NYC. Gramercy Theatre serves as a stellar venue for gig; friendly staff, admirable acoustics, and a floor that feels crowded but not claustrophobic - though the comically tiny roped off smoking area on the sidewalk under the marquee looks like it’s about to overflow straight onto 23rd Street (smoking isn’t always a personal space friendly activity).
The show kicks off at 8 on the dot with Teen Mortgage, a duo from Washington DC. Comprised of Guitarist / vocalist James Guille & drummer Ed Barakauskas, the two quickly win over the crowd with a vibe that ranges from aggressive punk straight out of a garage to something that feels classic and almost retro surf inspired. Ed’s tight performance appears quite relaxed, especially as he effortlessly twirls his sticks between beats - it’s a great compliment especially when James rips sludgier riffs or for accompanying the myriad of sounds and effects he conjures from his pedal board between tracks. If you like punk rock, it’s hard to imagine not enjoying these guys.
Teen Mortgage - Gramercy Theatre, July 20th, 2023
Red Fang launches right out of the gate with “Blood Like Cream” from Whales & Leeches - the “turn it up” chorus is a great rallying cry that immediately pumps up the crowd. Not that they need to be much louder, the band sounds monstrously heavy live. Formed in 2005, the band members might collectively share a few more gray hairs - but their energy seemingly hasn’t diminished in the slightest. With the notable exception of the title track from 2021’s Arrows, a vast majority of the setlist was released over a decade ago - though considering this show was to shake off any rust before opening for Clutch & Dino Jr., it makes sense that the focus would be on their most popular material. Coming from a band of grizzled vets, many of the songs feel more ferocious than they did on the original studio recordings.
Speaking of popular songs, it was refreshing to hear “Wires” performed in the thick of the set - guitarist David Sullivan smoothly blended the riff from the fade out of “Antidote” into the opening of the popular hit. Nobody went home after, if anything the crowd seemed extra enthused that a popular song wasn’t saved as a predictable show closer. Red Fang blazed through the back half of the show breaking out a trio of hits from their self titled debut (“Humans Remain Human Remains”, “Sharks”, and the iconic “Prehistoric Dog” were sprinkled in with Murder the Mountains tracks including “Number Thirteen” and “Dirt Wizard”). After a somewhat substantial pause during which about ⅓ of the crowd departed believing the show to have concluded, the band came back for an encore of “Hank is Dead”.
It’s odd to think that Red Fang is about to be off to take the stage early on the upcoming evenings, though presumably that will be the case with two headlining sets following them (if shows end around 11pm, it’s hard to imagine them taking the stage much later than 7pm). If you’re hoping to catch them, it's absolutely worth it to get there early. Overall an excellent experience, our only gripe being that they didn’t perform any songs from 2016’s Only Ghosts (“Shadows” would’ve fit into the set perfectly) or a few other songs from Arrows. It’s show business- gotta give the people what most of them want with the hits they know, though you have to imagine the crowd at your headlining show is going to be receptive to the newer stuff too. We’re obviously splitting hairs, these guys are one of those bands that sound great no matter what they’re playing and we love it all.
Aaron Beam - Vocals & Bass
Bryan Giles - Guitar & Vocals
David Sullivan - Guitar
John Sherman - Drums
Full setlist available here.
