Propagandhi is a cruel mistress.  I have been listening to these Canadian punks since the year 2000 when Today’s Empire, Tomorrow’s Ashes came out, and they have easily been one of my favorite bands since.  However, in the span of those 12 years, I only had the opportunity to see them once, and that was a mere 3 years ago… so I essentially went 9 years without seeing my favorite band.  Fucking hurts dude.

When Propagandhi announced they were coming to Philly to support the release of their latest Failed States (which fucking rips and you need to check it out now) to say I was stoked would be a fucking understatement.  The fact that they were playing with Philly locals One Win Choice and Canadian hardcore band Comeback Kid was just icing on the cake.  I headed out to Philly’s Union Transfer on Friday to catch the trio.

One Win Choice

These guys, originally from the shores of my home state New Jersey have made quite a name for themselves over the years.  Unfortunately, One Win Choice are calling it quits pretty soon.  I rushed out to get to the Union Transfer early, but unfortunately traffic had different plans for me. I missed a decent amount of their set, but made it in time for a final few songs, including their most popular “Movements”.

If you dig hardcore similar to Strike Anywhere or A Wilhelm Scream, do yourself a favor and check out One Win Choice.  If you’re lucky enough to live in Philly or going to the fest, go catch one of their final shows.

Comeback Kid

The first and last time I saw Comeback Kid in 2005 or 2006 (I don’t fucking remember), the lead singer quit the band a few days before I saw them.  I was bummed out, but they still managed to put on a solid show.

Nearly 7 years later, here I was about to see them again, and I had no clue what to expect.  I haven’t really listened to them at all since Wake The Dead so I wouldn’t know their latest stuff.

Comeback Kid fucking killed it.  With a decently sized hardcore pit going, the band played a lot off of Broadcast (which I need to check out), and sprinkled a few off of my favorite Turn It Around and Wake The Dead for us older fucks in the crowd.  They even played my request “The Trouble I Love”.

Highlights:
All In A Year
The Trouble I Love
Talk Is Cheap
Wake The Dead

Propagandhi

Finally, these Winnipeg dudes came out and rocked the fuck out of the crowd in true Propagandhi fashion, gave up the stage to an organization devoted to protecting the seas, to which got many applause… one of the few bands out there who actually practice what they preach.  Soon afterwards, they immediately broke into “Dear Coaches Corner” and completely led an hour and a half long shredfest. A pit immediately opened up, and while a bit slow to start, raged and only got more intense as the night went on.  The crowd was shouting along every word to this skate-punk-turned-thrash band, and I was in a constant stage of losing my shit, so it’s all a bit of a blur.

I do remember how pumped everyone was, and how it was a much older crowd losing their shit (with a few young ins thrown in… glad kids are still listening to Propagandhi).  Unlike last tour I saw them, Todd was actually able to sing this time around, and so we heard a decent amount of Todd’s thrashier songs as well.

Propagandhi played the majority of Failed States, with a decent amount of songs from all of their previous full lengths thrown in for good measure (still able to go nuts to Nation States?  Fuck yeah.)  Also, they are one of the few punk bands out there with heaps of musical chops (probably due to their thrash influences), and they killed all of their songs playing them super tight and aggressive.

Easily one of my favorite bands (I will always have a special place in my heart and headphones for them and The Bouncing Souls), I hope they come around again soon, although I won’t be holding my breath.  And for the love of all that is unholy, let’s pray that Romney doesn’t get elected into office… not just for the sake of the our country, but also so Propagandhi will be back again soon.

Setlist (Not in order, but complete):

Dear Coach’s Corner
Fuck The Border
Note To Self
Failed States
Apparently I’m A PC Fascist
Things I Like
Dark Matters
Lotus Gate
Hardron Collision
Without Love
Devil’s Creek
Human(e) Meat
Rattan Cane
Status Update
Less Talk More Rock
A Speculative Fiction
Night Letters
Duplicate Keys Icaro
The Bangers Embrace
…And We Thought Nation States Were A Bad Idea
Potemkin City Limits
Stick The Fucking Flag Up Your Goddamn Ass, You Son Of A Bitch

MP3:
Propagandhi – Failed States
Comeback Kid – All In A Year
One Win Choice – Failure To Quit

More Talk, More Rock:
We Interviewed Todd The Rod of Propagandhi
Propagandhi – Where Quantity is Job #1
Propagandhi – Supporting Caste
Propagandhi – Less Talk More Rock
Propagandhi – How To Clean Everything
Comeback Kid – Turn It Around
One Win Choice – Conveyor

Buy:
Propagandhi