Recap The Queers at The Frequency

While the spirit of punk rock in the 1980s is often remembered for its sociopolitical angst, it didn't stop The Queers from founding its career on silly brat-punk tunes. Still, watching some hard-assed guy with a greasy mohawk, black Dr. Martens, and a gratuitously spike-studded leather jacket go completely bat-shit as Joe Queer sings about “Yummy yummy punk rock girls” is a bit like seeing Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High—it just doesn’t make much sense. But it doesn’t have to. The Queers' infectious absurdity balanced out perfectly on Tuesday night at The Frequency’s drunken St. Patrick’s Day punk party.

After the thrash-punks in YLab kicked things off with a surprisingly effective collision of whoa-ohs and guttural growls, Wisconsin punk veterans Moral Disgust took the stage for the third of four reunion shows. From the menacing blast of “Stop The Beast,” Moral Disgust bassist and vocalist Sal Serio heaved his gritty howl into the fierce riffing of mop-topped guitarist Jeff Degoey. Drummer Dave Moore also pounded out the rhythm as a lit cigarette dangled from his mouth. Despite the gray patch in Serio’s beard, the trio managed to recapture the fist-pumping chaos of its 1985 full-length The Truth, and even ripped out a cover of The Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer.”

The audience at first seemed wary of Atlanta band Poison Arrows' glammed-up appearance. On the predictably titled set opener “Hittin’ It Hard,” the hissing guitar leads of Josh Hitson jammed into the dirty chords of guitarist and vocalist Tuk Smith. The crowd quickly warmed up to the group's jarring collision of Cheap Trick and Dead Boys: “I thought you guys were gonna suck because your haircuts are fucking gay—but you rock,” screamed one audience member between songs. The group's set hit its peak during “Sticky Situation,” as Mikey Portwood's walking bass lines pummeled into the go-go beats of drummer Joey O’Brien.

The Queers opened its set of predictable but fun pop-punk with the amusingly brainless “No Tit,” as vocalist and guitarist Joe Queer shouted over and over again, “She’s got no tit!” Joe Queer's stage banter stayed on just about the same mental level: “How many of you assholes are shit-faced right now? I’ve got a fuckin’ gram of coke in me so I can get drunk all night!” Whether or not this was true, the energy in the room was fucking high as the audience went crazy and even crowd-surfed for classic four-chord goof-anthems like “Punk Rock Girls,” “I Want It Now,” and “This Place Sucks.” The night came to a close as The Queers pulled out a sped-up cover of the Ramones' “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” and a crowd of smiling, drunk punks trotted off.