The punk band Sparkle Sh**, performed recently to raise money for Autism Awareness. Photo by Jon Hudak.

Since its inception in the 1970’s, the world of Punk Rock has thrived off of the rebellious spirit and tremendous energy of its performers. While high school pop rockers The Uranium Babies bounced through their unique mix of jam rock and hardcore punk, I couldn’t help but harkening back to the day I listened to my first punk record. Though I have admittedly never been a punk, I can, to this day, remember the overwhelming speed, the chugging guitars, and the aggressive boom-BAP-boom-BAP of the drums, and being overwhelmed by the passion. It’s bands like the Uranium Babies, I Hope You Die, and Sparkle Sh*t, (who all recently performed in New Brunswick bar The Court Tavern for an autism benefit), that, 40 years later, keep the spirit of punk alive.

The Uranium Babies opened the show with their own fresh take on the genre. However, all 5 members of the band were under 18, and their lack of experience was apparent. Their music usually suffered from an unusual mix of sounds – a conflict between the cleaner and undistorted blues melodies which gently crooned from the guitars. and the loud, tumbling drums paired with the higher, raspier screams of the singer. That being said, they joked with the crowd often, (especially regarding the venue, which was roughly the size of my living room, and reeked of god-knows-what), and had a couple of great dance tunes, with short twangy notes and a simple bebop rhythm, making them a very fun opening band.

I Hope You Die came next, a group of grizzled veterans. Tony, the drummer, and resident…jerk…was an incoherent mess before the show, slurring his words and arguing with strangers, (it is worth noting at this point that the venue was in the back room of a bar). But the minute Tony hit the drums, he, and the rest of his band, hit their stride. He followed the rhythms of the songs closely throughout, and carefully chose his licks; the right times to splice a jazzier tiptoe on the hi hat into a more frantic beat, or the right place for a tumbling drum roll. The band’s melodies were quick, but varied, a mix between poppier feeling jams and active, more frequently changing grooves. The addition of the clean, bright, high-pitched female vocals made for a dramatic and energetic performance.

Sparkle Sh*t closed the show by whipping the small crowd of younger punks into a dance frenzy. In a totally unique blend of styles, the all female group stuck to simple, racing rhythms, quicker, dirtier, distorted bass lines and a higher pitched, nasally synthesizer playing catchy melodies over top. It was a sort of Beach Boys meets Janis Joplin type style, and the audience clearly dug it. The crowd danced enthusiastically the entire time, a testament to their appreciation of the band’s unbridled passion and energy.

What do all girl electro-pop bands, older melodic punk groups, and younger pop punk warriors have in common? The answer, according to their performances, was passion. The bands gave it out, and the crowd gave it straight back, regardless of whatever musical flaws may have existed. It wasn’t the complexity that brought the life to the show, it was the passion. It may not have been the most musically impressive of shows, but it sure amounted to a damn good time.

[Ed. note:  In a previous version of this article I Hope You Die‘s drummer was incorrectly identified as Phil.  His name is Tony, as corrected above.]