It's been 10 years since the last Blood Brothers reunion. You wouldn't think a second comeback would hit as hard as the first, but the band is truly better than ever. The reunited post-hardcore troupe is back in celebration of their eminent album, Crimes, released 20 years ago. Different openers are filling in throughout the tour, and when they rolled through the Glass House in Pomona, they were accompanied by LA hardcore act, Entry.
I've become more and more familiar with Entry over the past couple of years just from seeing them open for other bands. They always deliver an intense set. Sara G. continues to be a force to be reckoned with. If you're not familiar with Entry yet and you're a fan of power violence and hardcore, be sure to check them out. Heck, odds are you can catch them on any hardcore bill in a 30-mile radius of LA.
The Blood Brothers used to play The Glass House regularly during their original tenure. Coming through with bands like Against Me! and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead. The band coming back was like a sort of homecoming. The band walked out to the apocalyptic theme of The Terminator before the call of "Set Fire to the Face on Fire" kicked off the set. It was like nothing had changed. Co-vocalist, Johnny Whitney, spent most of his time throwing himself into the crowd and screaming with the fans along the barricade while other co-vocalist, Jordan, commanded the stage.
The setlist consisted of tracks across their entire catalog, including "Jennifer" and "Mutiny on the Ark of the Blood Brothers" from their first album, This Adultery is Ripe. The band brought back "USA Nails" from Burn, Piano Island, Burn -- personal favorite that I haven't seen, except possibly for the first time I saw Blood Brothers. The crowd went nuts for "Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers" and Crimes single, "Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck." The energy from the band was palpable with very little discernable difference from 10 years ago, or even 17 years ago. They closed out the night with "The Shame," which seemed appropriate considering the results of the election that was happening at the same time.
The band made comments about this possibly being the last time they tour, so if you're a fan, I wouldn't skip this. Maybe they get a bit more winded now, but overall, The Blood Brothers are still one of the best shows money could buy. They give 110% and leave you asking, 'How are they still able to pull this off?" So put on your skinny jeans, find the white belt you donated at Goodwill, and relive your adolescence.
