Mad Caddies almost did not make its headlining gig at Reggie’s. The band had been stranded in an airport in Halifax for nearly 18 hours due to a canceled flight. But of course, the operative word is “almost” because the band did make it to the venue as the opening bands were on stage. Those opening bands, Something To Do and The Iron Roses provided strong support. What a terrific evening of music!
Mad Caddies, out of Santa Barbara, CA, brought the punk/ska fusion to the S. State St. stage. Perhaps due to the aforementioned travel issues the band members arrived ready to bust out. And bust out they did, with an upbeat and energetic performance. The set included “The Dirge,” “Reflections,” “Backyard,” “Tired Bones,” and “Lay Your Head.”
Mad Caddies has a run of September shows with Ballyhoo! on deck. In November, the band hits the road with Authority Zero and Belvedere.
Perhaps the most exciting show will occur on October 5th in San Pedro, CA as part of the Punk In Drublic Festival. There, the band will provide support on “Faturday” for NOFX‘s penultimate show. That should be a blast.
The Iron Roses is a fairly new ska/punk band composed of veteran musicians. Nathan Gray of Boysetsfire and Becky Fontaine share lead vocals. The band put on a snappy, boisterous performance with both singers taking leave of the stage to groove in the center of the crowd on the floor. The rest of the group killed it as well. Tight yet fun work.
Iron Roses complemented Maddie Caddies perfectly. The band’s showing at Reggie’s makes me look forward to the next time I can catch the band.
Iron Roses has North American tour dates scheduled for September and October. The band is also on the lineup at The Fest 22 in late October, in Gainesville, FL.
Something To Do out of Milwaukee had something to do at this show and they did it marvelously. That is, kick off the show with a bang. With all members seeming in perpetual motion, the band tested the attendees’ stamina. The horn section was particularly kinetic. The entire group was both in grand unison, with each member’s personality shining through.
The rowdy set included “Sweet Caffeination” and “Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls.” Both of those tunes are off Something To Do’s new album called Here Comes the Panic!
This month Something To Do will be sharing the stage with Mustard Plug and Authority Zero a few times. If you need something to do…well you get the idea.
As so often is the case, Reggie’s was the cool place to be for a hot show on a warm summer night. Cheers!
