Review & Gallery: Alexisonfire, Distillers and Monsterwatch @ The Showbox
Alexisonfire and The Distillers @ Showbox Sodo
Jan. 26, 2020 in Seattle
Words and Photos by Eric Tra
Post-hardcore rockers Alexisonfire and punk legends The Distillers joined forces this past weekend at Seattle’s Showbox SoDo on their final night of their short, but sweet, five show tour. As an added bonus, Sunday’s show also featured some familiar faces—Monsterwatch (#41for2017) a local hard rock outfit began the night with some brutal, dizzying riffs off of their Zot EP.
As Alexisonfire took the stage it was apparent that despite their breakup and hiatus in 2012, the band’s fan-base is still alive and well. Led by frontman, George Pettit, the band kicked off their set with “Young Cardinals,” the second track off of their 2009 album, Old Crows / Young Cardinals.
The remainder of the set showcased variety of songs from the band’s four album discography but it wasn’t until they played “Accidents” and “Pulmonary Archery” back to back that things really started to shake up. Both songs, brimming with post-hardcore energy, are some of among Alexisonfire’s most well known singles from their first two albums. A continuous stream of crowd surfers could be seen breaching the pit barriers, each sweat drenched fan screaming the lyrics as they made their way to the back of the crowd. The band wrapped their set with the melodic headbanger “This Could Be Anywhere in the World.”
Like the seasoned pros they are, The Distillers didn’t waste any time jumping into their set with the song “Drain the Blood,” a pop-punk jam from their 2003 EP titled under the same name. The L.A. band then dove into a sixteen song set that featured fan favorites such as “I am a Revenant,” “Seneca Falls and “City of Angels,” the latter of which especially had fans jumping up and down singing along to every lyric of the chorus.
For fans old and new, hearing lead singer Brody Dalle’s characteristic raspy growl made for a night to remember. It’s one of those iconic voices that goes beyond… it’s not just another way to define the band’s sound but one that also helps define the entire genre of early 2000s punk itself. The Distillers’ set concluded with “Gypsy Rose,” the title track of their debut album.
Check out more of Eric’s photos from the show on our Flickr page.