White Lung - Atlanta from Ryan D. Anderson on Vimeo.
It was a bummer to find out that Natasha Reich, their original guitarist, is not in the band anymore, but they still had great energy, cool songs and bring a fresh, young energy to punk.
They were on tour with Nü Sensae, who are also from Vancouver. The singer/bass player totally shreds:
NÜ SENSAE - Don't Panic from Michael Burnside on Vimeo.
We missed the opening group, Hell Womon and only caught the end of Kanako's solo project, but overall the show was fun and had a pretty cool vibe compared to a lot of shows I've been to in the past year. A lot of the all ages shows at Northern feel a little awkward and the hardcore/punk shows at Old School or various basements/houses too are just too male-dominated. At this show there were a lot of guys in the front and women/girls in the back or on the side, which was kind of a bummer but I found it was easy enough to push them out of the way so I could see. I really hate that this same dynamic still exists at shows that existed when I first started going to them back in 1983. Why are the guys so oblivious? Don't take up so much space! Step aside! Share the room. Sometimes I don't have the energy to push you aside and fight for somewhere to stand. But whatever, I often feel more comfortable lurking in the shadows and don't always have the energy to deal.
I have to say that it's really a shame that Natasha Reich is no longer in White Lung. They seemed more like a cohesive group with her in it. She is easily one of the best punk guitarists of this decade, male or female. I really hope to see her in a new group soon. White Lung show a lot of determination in keeping the group together without her. This energy and willpower came through in their performance, which was strong and focused. Still, something was missing. I hope to see them again soon and wish them the best of luck on their west coast tour. Go see them play if you get the chance! They are a really terrific group and Nü Sensae are pretty great live as well so don't miss out.
Here's a recent live track:
NU SENSAE - BURN ZERO from Kenneth McCorkell on Vimeo.
