The Misfits / Hat Trickers/ Sir Reg
Pakkahuone, Tampere, Finland, 13/09/10
By Petri Da Costa
It’s been two years since The Misfits last made a visit to Finland. The Misfits returned to some countries here in Europe for a mini-tour in September and included two dates in Finland: Tampere and the next day in Helsinki. This time there were two opening bands, the Swedish / Irish Sir Reg and Hat Trickers from Japan.
The venue, Pakkahuone, may not have been the best choice for the bands because it’s large (holds around 1,200 people) with an equally large stage, and since the attendance was around 400, the show seemed somewhat as empty. A smaller club would have a more intimate atmosphere and the fans would have connected better with the bands, but at least the sound was really good through most of the night. The doors opened at 7pm, with the prediction that Sir Reg would start at 8pm, however just a few came that early to witness the folk punk Sir Reg.
The band had about 35mins for their show and despite the fact Pakkahuone seemed empty, the band put on an interesting show for those who were there, with some songs with a progressive touch to them. The public was increasing little by little and at 9pm Trickers Hat took the stage, which attracted many near the stage. There was certainly a curiosity among everyone there to see these guys live, either because of how they look (all members dressed resembling Stanley Kubrick’s classic "Clockwork Orange") or by the simple fact that it’s rare to see a punk band from Japan, and one that has three guitarists(!) in the band. In 35mins of show there was no kind of interaction with the public, the band simply played song after song without a word (not even the common "thank you"), and despite this "distance" the guys did a good gig, the songs were very catchy and it was easy to enjoy them. The highlight was the vocalist Clockwork Kenji, who had a good theatrical performance, which sits well with the style of band.
After them it was time to wait for the "hosts" of the night, meanwhile many were in the bar, some lined up at the merchandise table. By this time the public was already in full and the most fanatical ones went near the stage. At 10pm sharp it started to play the theme of the classic slasher movie "Halloween" and it was more than obvious that the Misfits would start their gig with "Halloween”, like they’ve been doing for some time already. Since the band hasn’t released any new full length material for about 10 years (the exception being last year’s single "Land of the Dead"), The Misfits played songs from all their eras, from Danzig to Michale Graves to their current era with Jerry Only on vocals. Unfortunately the start with the classics sounded too heavy, especially Robo’s drum which sounded louder than Dez Cadena’s guitar or Jerry’s vocals. The band displayed a phenomenal speed, which suited well with songs like "Earth AD", "Attitude," "Ghouls Night Out" and the cover of Black Flag "Six Pack", but this speed didn’t sound good on some songs, not to mention that Jerry’s vocals faltered at times. From the “Danzig era” the songs that sounded really good were "Hybrid Moments", "Some Kinda Hate", "Hollywood Babylon" and "Angelfuck”.
After another cover of Black Flag ("Thirsty and Miserable"), the band began the other part of the set list that was dedicated to the “latest” tunes from the group. The interesting thing was that the crowd went crazy when The Misfits started playing the intro "Abominable Dr. Phibes”. The fans seemed more excited about the “Michale Grave era” than the “Danzig era”. This excitement was not over through songs from the albums "American Pyscho": "Walk Among Us," "From Hell They Came" and "Dig Up Her Bones"; and "Famous Monsters": "Kong at the Gates", "Forbidden Zone" “Helena" and" Saturday Night "(dedicated to girls). To the surprise of fans, they played the single "Land of the Dead" and a brand new song "The Monkey’s Paw" (which was very good) that will be on the next album. After the classic "We Are 138", the band left for a short break and returned for an encore. The first to be played was one that they rarely do, "Descending Angel" (from "Famous Monsters") dedicated to their tour manager who recently died.
Then came the expected ever cover of "Rise Above" and one that caught everyone by surprise: "Science Fiction Double Feature", which according to Jerry was something special. For those who do not know, this song is part of renowned musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". To end the night, one of their most famous songs: "Die, Die My Darling", which had the chorus shouted by everybody. Jerry promised that the band will return soon enough, since the band will be (finally) releasing a new album. As always, Jerry was nice and came off the stage to chat with fans and autograph items Misfits.
In the end it was a good show, better than two years ago when they were in Helsinki, the band made good changes in the set list, the new songs sounded very good and this formation still has a future. But personally, I’d like that Jerry would get a lead singer for the band. I’m not saying that the band only works with Danzig or with Michale Graves, on the contrary, I still like the band and Jerry sings well in many songs. However I think with a proper front man, the band would sound even better and would once again have somebody that moves on stage, interacting more with the fans. Well, now all the fans have to do is wait to see what this new chapter in The Misfit’s story will be with the new album.
Misfits SET LIST
Halloween Movie Theme (Intro)
Halloween
Earth A.D.
Bloodfeast
Horror Business
Hybrid Moments
Teenagers From Mars
Attitude
Some Kinda Hate
Astro Zombies
Skulls
I Turned Into A Martian
20 Eyes
Six Pack (Black Flag cover)
Horror Hotel
Ghoul’s Night Out
Angelfuck
Hollywood Babylon
Vampira
London Dungeon
Thirsty And Miserable (Black Flag cover)
Abominable Dr. Phibes
American Psycho
Walk Among Us
From Hell They Came
The Monkey’s Paw
Dig Up Her Bones
Kong At The Gates
The Forbidden Zone
Helena
Land Of The Dead
Saturday Night
We Are 138
Encore:
Descending Angel
Rise Above (Black Flag cover)
Science Fiction Double Feature
Die, Die My Darling
