As a mixture of rain and sleet fell the night of April 15, many of D.C.’s young music followers found themselves seeking shelter and the sounds of 21st century punk at the Black Cat.
After opening band, Natural Child, set the stage with their Arnold Palmer-like mixture of the rock genres — half psychedelic and half southern-flavored — the crowd began to pack the upstairs venue like canned sardines.
While body heat slowly began to engulf the room, the Black Lips walked onto the stage. As the band played, the room suddenly turned into a moshing frenzy. While the Black Lips began to play hits from their sixth studio album “Arabia Mountain,” including “Family Tree” and “New Direction,” they also took time to promote their newest and now heavily criticized album “Underneath the Rainbow.” The set list included new songs such as “Boys in the Wood,” “Make You Mine” and “Smiling.”
For its new tracks, the Black Lips were joined by a punk saxophonist whose gritty look fit right into the band’s appearance. As the night grew late, the crowd only picked up its moshing as the salty smell of sweat filled the hazy air. It was an anarchist’s aquarium filled with a blend of violence and teamwork, to keep each audience member up on their feet while being rammed into by others.
The Black Lips finished their official set with song “Bad Kids” and came back for a two song encore. For the encore, the band surprisingly covered ‘70s T.Rex classic “Bang a Gong (Get it On).” While it was a little rough, the band still found a way to pull through the song with its punk garage rock sound. The Black Lips left the venue with a night of amazing performances and outstanding music.
