“Outside the pretentions of the ‘art scene’” (Review of last night’s Cage Show)
With one swipe I was covered in Cock Esp’s hormonal out-porings seething from his throbbing gristle that was rudely exposed and fiercely positioned at the audience reminding us all that the most primitive of weapons is the human body. Cock Esp was one of three bands that graced the independently run ‘The Cage’ venue during a fierce coup last night aimed to assault the senses that was more successful than most spectacles that I have seen over the years in so-called ‘artist atmospheres’ like the U.I.C.A., Wealthy Theatre, and Dogstory Theatre. Maybe it’s the rough and tumble feel of the aesthetically-absent warehouse that adds a disquieting chill to the bones and makes you experience a hemmed-in anxiety akin to being shepherded in like cattle to this brow-beaten shanty where the ceilings along with the architecture become disposable props for cannon fire between audience and performer. Either way, the atmosphere itself becomes a key player in each performance, and the ambiguity of musician and onlooker is constantly in flux as Cage guests usually engage in some form of deviant form of dress in their quest to pursue alternative lifestyles then the ones our exhausted society affords. The surprisingly electronically based show last night encouraged its primitive show goers to dress fetishistic, with either some form of leather article of clothing; cross-dressing ensemble; or perverse costume which further frustrated expectations of the evenings fate. Victory was the first band to gift us with their un-rock. Their set seemed planned but also slightly improvisational with the P.A. struggling to balance Victory’s screaming vox and archaic-sounding synth which made a nice precursor to the next band Buffalo Wings which fell into a more conventional sounding punk/retro-garage band feel. I liked how distinctive the band sounded when it changed singers mid-set. Almost instantly the style of the songs became more raw and piercing! Persons around me began assailing the band in a shower of beer cans to show their much elated respect. Soon the band finished leaving each of us in a state of disturbed expectation for the nights head-line act: Cock Esp… Suddenly the lights were dimmed, and a hunched over gorilla of a man attacked a P.A. and wrestled it to the ground making some sort of explosive static seemingly come out of nowhere while at the same time the beautiful front-woman now known as Page began gyrating her hips into the audiences face while the unknown half-naked front-man in a diaper poured what looked like baby powder onto his privates, letting all kinds of unknown nastiness stream down his skivvies and out the other side! While engaging in this wild act he stomped his feet like a baby with something strapped to his chest that resembled a modern torture device, and later turned out to be strategically placed microphones and sound samplers.I could have sworn I saw a couple of moist stool samples ooze out of his diaper, but than I immediately became transfixed by Page’s hyperventilating strip show which ended with her attacking the audience with a police issue National Guard defense shield while nude, and then frothing at the mouth while she screamed the words, ‘I want to shit in your mouth!’!!! The sexual assault continued to heat up to a boiling frenzy as the unnamed front-man groped between his legs, where now only a g-string resided, and then briskly slathered me and many others across the face with his under-carriage man sweat! I immediately felt sweetly decorated in his relish of odors, and voted against showering for the next three days at least!
As for the rest of the show, I could continue to go into vacuous attention of detail like I have been, but it was really a scene to be experienced. You had to be there. Apparently from what I laced together after talking to Cock Esps’ front-man, (he was unabashedly standing by his merch table trying to rub one off in plain view) Page was the longest playing member of Cock at 31 years old, she flew out from NewYork to partake in the three song spectacle! Incredibly they refused an encore, keeping it short and sweet like the No Wave bands of New York were infamous for doing. Page pontificated throughout the show like a rabid preacher, her essence radiating murderous immortality….aggg! Here I go again! I just can’t stop raving about this show!!!
by:Cryptic Josh
I’m generally confused by much of this. I wasn’t at the show (and I have no idea how much of this is true or if this is a joke), but either way it seems to capture pretty well all that is wrong with Grand Rapids punk.
Also, using the term “sexual assault” in the manner you did is pretty fucked up.
ooo poor baby! did oooo get offended? another PC punker with a stick up his butt! Loads of fun! You PC punks are the only thing WRONG with grand rapids. you make it reek with yr sterile brand of self righteousness. pull yr head out yr ass and start attending more shows, thats what we need more of!
More heads at the Cage, and less strictures that confine and define punk to death!
uh oh! somebody call the punk police!!! or the waaaaambulance!!
uh oh! somebody call the punk police!!! or a waaaaamublance!!!
I don’t think it is a matter of being “PC” to call someone out for using the term “sexual assault” in a fucked up manner. You can complain all day about self-righteousness if you want, but that doesn’t change the fact that your choice of language is out of line. You could have easily used another term–especially for such a lover of “art” as yourself.
You wonder why people don’t go to shows? It’s crap like this. This show seems (as described above) to be just another example of how pathetic Grand Rapids is–too much drinking (“a shower of beer cans”), questionable behavior (detailed in the show review), and iffy bands (at best). Were there skinheads there too? That would just make it all the more great! Nothing says “Grand Rapids punk” like some skins listening to Rock Against Communism bands! To top it off, the show happened in some crappy warehouse instead of the collectively run music venue in town (The DAAC). Up the GR punx!
I hate the whole notion that punk should shock and offend being used as an excuse (or even more pathetic, claiming that it was all about art). We (as in punks) should have got over that back in the 1980s. To the extent that punk and hardcore is about shocking and offending people, it should be about shocking and offending mainstream U.S. culture–i.e. the white middle/upper class male power structure–not other punks. If it’s just about shocking anybody however we can, we might as well just all start Marilyn Manson cover bands and/or incorporate Kid Rock style dancing women on stage while we play.
I think if anything the old ways of how people approach punk need to change. The shock is necessary in shaking up the stodgy sameness thats polluted the punk scene. Punk music doesn’t all have to be Hardcore. Unfortunately most punks don’t realize that. Alot of them think that as long as they have the patches and the dull James Dean swagger then they’re admittedly a punk rocker, which to this point is asininely true! Theres so many stick up their ass shitheads like u that believe that have some sort of moral imperative to singlehandedly breathe life into a dying scene of ‘real punk’ with bullshit ethical ideals that would only retard themselves if taken to their full extent! And by the way, Buffalo Wings is actually Buffalo Watch, I’m sorry guys!
Now, now, now. Its seems like people are purposefully dicking my words here! The band is called ‘Buffalo Witch’! Buffalo Wings is pretty funny tho!
dougie = a dork
yah what kinda moron names their illegitimate child doug e fresh anyway?
Doug E,
You shouldn’t discourage the use of the “crappy warehouse”, that place is collectively run as well, and done so to the extreme gratitude of many kids who enjoy punk music.
luv the place!
by the by cock esp isn’t from g.r. their from new york. thats why their more creative. their outside people like yus box.
all of that WAS true. and i say it was fucking awsome. those guys stayed at our house that night and their pretty damn cool
Wow, yr so lucky! Thanks for confirming the reality of the show! Its a real bummer I didn’t have any dough fer their records or dvd(especially! i’d luv some more visuals!) did you buy anything from them? Anything crazy cool happen at ur house?
whoever doug e. fresh is, if this is what’s “wrong” with grand rapids punk, start something that’s “right” and stop complaining on an internet message board behind a fake name.
yea!
I have to say I read this review and posted it so I guess I have no prob with what josh wrote so please dont miss read what i will write, but GR punk is pretty cool it has some really cool aspects. I do however see where this guy doug e fresh is coming from. Where is the true fuck you attitude of the GR punk scene. Its 2010 and I see most punk communities chugging corprate beer and energy drinks while chasing it with a nice camel cig. Its kinda of a joke. The way you dress is no threat in 2010 its who you support its what you buy. Some of the things dougie said I think stroke a nerve more so because he is right. We are a generation so stuck on the past that we never even had a part in that we are forgetting the present. What is your rebellion anyway???? All in all thanks josh for writing this and I wish i could have seen this show to give a comment of my own.
totally in accurate review, get your shit together asswipe. sheepherder played first, there were 4 bands, what a dumb cunt.
and goddamnit her name is paige ,,,, not page. what the fuck.
the best part of the evening for me, was when jason threw the garbage can into the crowd and it landed right on mistress paige’ head and shut her the fuck up.
it was a great show.
write yur own lame ass review i already corrected the buffalo with yu buffalo bitch! people are all haters fer something new. even new writing in the catagorized punk scene.
it is actually “BUFFALO WITCH” i believe.
but why would anyone really care, they are not a generic grind, or power violence band
Dude what r u talking about? Are u seriously just griping to gripe? Grow up fuckwad!
I don’t get why this would be shocking, Its all been done before. I don’t get why josh swears and uses internet slang so much. Y R U NT TYPIN ALL of YR Werds?
pretty annoying, also what exactly is a fuckwad?
I would just like to say that I am in Buffalo Witch. We are rad and have decided to only Bad Religion covers from now on.