The Evil Powers of The Supersuckers
Eddie Spaghetti of The Supersuckers - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
This was a Saturday night show at Smalls Bar in Hamtramck, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, and the second stop on The Supersuckers tour. Hamtramck is the place to see punk, metal, and speed rock shows, with The Sanctuary, Smalls Bar, and The Outer Limits Lounge all within a mile of each other on the same street. I wasn’t the only one that was there this night to see the full line-up; there was a line going through the iconic door to Smalls when we showed up. The stage area had more than the usual crowd before the first band came on, and I grabbed one of their premium NA beers (Stella Artois NA) before staking a spot at the stage.
First up were The Ravagers. They released their first 7” back in 2018, but I first heard their 2023 album “Badlands” (before going back through their entire catalog). The songs “Sick House,” Nasty Night,” and “Drowning In Blood” were stand-outs, and I was excited to hear that they were playing. The Supersuckers alone would have been enough to bring me out to this show, but having a stacked lineup that included The Ravagers was the icing on the cake. They ripped into a 10-song set that included “Down That Road” and “Sick House”, and ended with “Suicide Bomber.”” There were a few more songs that I would have liked to hear, but that gives me something to look forward to next time. They did a great shout-out to Nikki Corvette, who was in the audience, and one of the band members wore a Nikki and The Corvettes shirt.
Jake "The Preacher" Cavaliere of The Lords of Altamont - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
The Lords of Altamont were up next. I asked around, and the word was that they are more of a garage / psychedelic band than the punk rock that I’m usually drawn to. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they certainly exceeded my expectations. The lead singer (Jake Cavaliere) also played a Farfisa organ, which he threw around like a toy. He stood on it to sing, let audience members play it, and made a significant contribution to the band by playing it himself. This was a high-energy show, and they definitely held their own with The Ravagers and The Supersuckers.
The Supersuckers are the self-proclaimed greatest rock-n-roll band in the world. I for one, am not going to dispute it. I’ve seen them plenty of times over the years, and it seems like they are only getting better. The show at Smalls debuted some new songs that have me already anticipating their new LP, and some solo numbers by their guitarist “Metal” Marty Chandler (which they explained is basically The Supersuckers with Marty singing).
They opened with “Pretty Fucked Up”, and played an extensive set that also included “She’s My Bitch”, “Coattail Rider” and “Creepy Jackalope Eye”. They finished on a high note with everyone extending their middle finger in the air for “Born With A Tail”. Raise your middle finger, check out the final minutes of the show, and then kick yourself for not being there.
