Images: Culture Abuse, Dark Black, Blast Flashes April 2, 2016 at Hard Hat Lounge

I now completely understand why “party music” is among the tags on Culture Abuse’s Bandcamp, and why the band lists “having fun” as their genre on Facebook.

The San Fran sextet’s set at the cozy Hard Hat Lounge earlier this month was so good, and the vibe so righteous, that I literally went out and bought a thesaurus so I could learn the right words to describe it, though on the way I also bought a dictionary and realized that the correct word for what I did is “figuratively.”

So without further ado: Culture Abuse was amazing, spectacular, uncanny, incredible and fantastic (okay, so I what I actually bought was a sweet stack of Marvel Comics).

Starting their set with his black hood pulled tightly over his head, Culture Abuse frontman David Kelling treated every song like it was the best song you’ve ever heard. He was grinning ear to ear as he shouted the words to “Peace on Earth,” “Dream On” and “Turn It Off” with fans, some of whom, somewhat surprisingly, already knew the words to the Peach pre-release singles.

While the band draws influence from punk rock, grunge, garage rock and even a bit of London Calling-esq reggae, Kelling maintains a relationship with his audience that is only birthed by those raised on hardcore (Kelling is formerly of the hardcore band All Teeth). After causing slight discomfort to one band member’s head by throwing his mic stand out of the way (he had absolutely no need for it) Kelling pressed his way into the crowd, allowing him to share the mic with those singing fans and giving that much more room to the five members of the band, as they were playing in a space that would even feel cramped to an acoustic artist.

All those band members might make Culture Abuse look like a casual Friday Polyphonic Spree, but they utilize their three guitarists so well. They create a wall of sound that would make Phil Spector proud, and they play with volume so deafening that I’m convinced his jail bars were jangling (good producer, not so good dude, that Phil). Hair flew everywhere as they thrashed their heads around the small space near the venue’s entrance designated as the stage, all while punks, hardcore kids and even a biker or two threw up devil horns and boogied to the music.

Members of Defeater, who were in town for the Extreme Thing Festival, showed up partway through to sing along, maybe even louder than Kelling himself. And if that’s not a ringing endorsement, a sign that you should be listening to this band and invite yourself to the party, I don’t know what is.

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Dark Black was in direct support and I think these locals are best described as “controlled chaos.” They’ve got a nuanced, moody sound drawing inspiration from grunge, post-punk and shoegaze. That mix of styles, along with a banterless set, remind me a lot of The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me-era Brand New (so basically, the early 90s alt rock scene). The set highlight came in the form of “White Light,” tension growing to unbearable levels before the flurry of crashing cymbals and loud guitars kick in at the song’s end.

Opening the show were new locals Blast Flashes, a band that counts My Bloody Valentine and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club among their influences. In classic first band fashion, they brought up a gaggle of friends and family, each armed with a camcorder. While it’s a bit hard to gauge a band by their first performance, I was impressed by how tight they sounded for a first gig and look forward to seeing them again.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Anthony Constantine | https://www.facebook.com/anthonycphotography