Crowd Control
Crowd Control
Brash punk-poppers, goths, retro swingers and metal kids, all together now
by Dan Barry - February 24, 2005
The Degenerates delivered the finishing blow of the evening, and the crowd response was huge.
They're an excellent party band, and they gear their covers toward the younger set (Green Day's "American Idiot," James' "Laid," and '80s nostalgia in the form of "867-5309 (Jenny)").
But The Degenerates are a cut above the typical cover band. They leave no breaks between songs, which means you have absolutely no chance -- or reason -- to leave the dance floor.
More importantly, they look like they're having a good time onstage. The way they grin at each other and laugh back and forth makes you think that they're buying into the songs and making fun of them at the same time. And they probably are.
They're brash enough to resent the widespread appeal of the songs they cover, but wise enough to understand that playing the songs everyone knows by heart is a surefire way to bring an entire room together. That's punk enough for me