SICK OF IT ALL
SICK OF IT ALL
SICK OF IT ALL
COMEBACK KID
CANCER BATS
ADDITIONAL TIME
Kraków, November 9, 2019
Sick of it All, one of the important representatives of the New York hardcore scene are a very mature band. Well over thirty, thirty three actually, now that is a proper age, according to some worshippers, to die and be buried. Far from that. Alive, kicking and biting hard on the recent European tour. They are traveling with three other bands: Canadians Comeback Kid, Cancer Bats, who are from Toronto as well and Additional Time from Germany.
All bands were cool. The Germans gave a big dose of solid, classic HC. It was played according to all the rules required, though lacking, perhaps, some originality. I guess they might like to try to work towards a more individual material and sound.
Cancer Bats started out in 2003 and made six albums. They surely are a very experienced group and offer a mixture of some of the oldschool styles with a more modern attitude. They are also nice, open guys, ready to talk to you. On top of that, their singer is straight edge, which is always a nice thing to discover.
Comeback Kid are more or less as old as Cancer Bats. So in this fast-changing scene, I guess, could be considered veterans. I especially like their early stuff, where they sounded much more oldschool. They've changed with time. But their gig was very good, combining some of the old and newer songs. And they were all over the place (specifically the guitarist). Sweating like hell, just like their predecessors, trying to prove that choosing them for that tour was a good move on the part of of the headlining Sick of it All.
Last but not least, I really enjoyed the fact that the guitarist's axe was adorned with big letters saying VEGAN. Small thing, some might say, but can make miracles for some. Let's face it, not everybody listens to the lyrics, not everyone can hear and / or understand them.
And talking about the veterans, Sick of it All truly deserve the term. I can remember their beginnings, when they were just Scratching the Surface, an up and coming New York hardcore band, backed up by Revelation Records, which I was in touch with at the time. And maybe that is why I have always perceived them as the new breed, compared to the oldschool originators. But I must say that after all these years they have matured so much that now can be seen as real classics themselves.
The word veterans is used here purely out of respect, as they are fresh as the freshmen, still not losing a bit of youthful energy and passion they offered and a quick review of their repertoire, playing their first song ever and the latest compostions. Sick of it All's sound is great, which is understandable when you think how long they have been able to continue with the same lineup. Well, almost thirty years now. And the guitarist Pete Koller's stage presence is just amazing. He is in perfect shape and running and jumping all the time. Yes, I mean it, all the time. And always smiling, looking happy and not bored and tired like some exhausted, overweight and pot-bellied old-timers.
ALL TEXTS AND IMAGES © PIOTR SIATKOWSKI
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