Negative Approach kicks off The Sanctuary 10th Anniversary weekend.
John Brannon of Negative Approach - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein.
It was a frigid night as we weaved through the alleys in Hamtramck to get to our usual parking spot by The Sanctuary. The road in front was still under construction, so getting close enough to walk in with no coat can be tricky if you aren't familiar with the area. This would be the start of a fantastic weekend celebrating 10 years of The Sanctuary (which was formerly Paycheck's Lounge in my younger days) putting on mostly punk and metal shows. The weekend kicked off Friday night with a SOLD OUT show featuring 5 local bands. Wounded Touch, Manic Outburst, SNAFU and Cloud Rat opened up for the legendary Negative Approach.
We got there during the first couple of songs by Wounded Touch, who were playing in almost complete darkness (there were just a couple of small stage lights pointing up around the drums that the signer was turning on and off). The opening bands were mostly metal/hardcore, with Wounded Touch more on the hardcore side. The Sanctuary had a smoke machine going that really set the scene (I felt like I was back at Blondies in the 1980’s getting ready to headbang to a Seduce show). I left my camera on a really dark setting to try to capture the feeling of being there, in the front row, with the smoke and darkness. They also had the volume cranked; this was one of the loudest shows that I had been to there.
I'd seen Manic Outburst the previous year when they played with Against the Grain right down the road at Smalls Bar. They absolutely killed at that show, so they were the band I was most looking forward to other than Negative Approach. I knew it was going to be rowdy when the signer brought out a 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and started in on it even before the set started. Throughout, he was slamming them fast enough that I thought he might finish it off... but at some point a fan stepped onto stage and grabbed one so he started throwing the rest of them into the audience. As expected, the set was great, the mosh pit was insane, and it was over almost as quickly as it started. A fight broke out during the set, which got really close to me and left a sizeable amount of blood on the dance floor. It didn't look like anyone was seriously hurt though, and the band never missed a beat.
Next up was another favorite, SNAFU. They had just played an amazing show with The Koffin Kats over at The Token Lounge a few weeks earlier, and I was glad to get the chance to catch them again. The red lights and smoke machine gave the stage an ominous look, the volume was cranked, and the band screamed and headbanged through the frenetic 8-song set that started with "No Rites" and finished up with "Choking Game" from their "Exile/Banishment" LP.
Cloud Rat is screaming hardcore with female vocals, and they kept the low lights and smoke machine throughout their set. They were new to me, so I was right in the front so as to not miss any of their set (well, and to also stay clear of the mosh pit). Another great set, but we were all ready for Negative Approach to take the stage.
Negative Approach
Negative Approach is, for some reason, a really hard band to get good photos of, even though John Brannon has a look that should be highly photogenic. I was glad when the lights were turned up, the smoke machine was left at a minimum, and Negative Approach took the stage. They are the same four guys that make up Easy Action, John Brannon's other band that would be playing the following night, so I wasn't sure what to expect for the set list (all Negative Approach, half Easy Action, or even other covers). It turned out that the set was almost all classic Negative Approach with just their amazing cover of Sham 69's "Borstal Breakout" and one other that I assume was Easy Action. John was drinking his usual Lite beer throughout the set, and they included some of my all-time favorites, "Can't Tell No One" and "Tied Down." I think they played all of their first EP, a couple of which are only a few seconds long. A great start to the weekend, with still a second day to go.
