City Slang
Live Review: All-Girls Boys Choir/the Banana Convention, Choking Susan and the Questions. Friday, Apr. 15 at PJ's Lager House
The curiously-named Banana Convention kicked off the night with an intense sugar-soaked blast of bouncy punk. The crew is one of the few bands around that can be accurately tagged as “pop punk” instead of just being a pop band with gelled up hair. Banana Convention’s tunes are vivacious numbers delivered with an almost sneering attitude. And their energy is infectious. They were having so much damned fun onstage you can’t help but be swept up into it. It seems they really can put the “FU in FUN.”
Choking Susan came next. Playing unapologetically three-chord punk, Choking Susan launched it set with an almost unbearable billow of sound. When the sound leveled out, you’re left with some straight, fist-pumping punk tunes that only could have been written after years of religiously studying the grooves of Ramones and New York Dolls records.
By the time the Questions queued up the Lager House was packed. The Questions are beginning to become known for their roots-y garage sets, which never fails to appease the tastes of Detroit music fans. Interspersed between sets singer/guitarist Drew Bardo sermonized on the corporate world with mantras like: “Fuck BP, fuck corporate, fuck all the shit!”
The All Girls Boys Choir headlined the show and delivered their brand of junkyard blues with the fervor we’ve come to except from the LA-by-Detroit female duo. Guitarists Alicia Warrington and Marlene Hammerle (both former members of the Gore Gore Girls) made a lovely racket complete with slide guitar flourishes, searing harmonica breakdowns and the occasional onerous blast of feedback.
We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Detroit Metro Times. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Detroit Metro Times, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
Email us at letters@metrotimes.com.
Detroit Metro Times works for you, and your support is essential.
Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Detroit and beyond.
Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community.
Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Detroit's true free press free.
