D.O.A. @ Les foufounes électriques

The spectacle at Foufounes Electriques on Monday night was no evening with your uncle and his dusty old punk LPs talking about the good ol’ days. Vancouver veteran rockers D.O.A. catered to a crowd of fresh faces who were hip to the new modernized and refined punk-rock, and also delivered a dose of Canadian grade-A punk nostalgia to the hoards of seasoned fans.

The band revived classics like "Class War", "Police Brutality", and "World War III", and D.O.A.’s latest lineup (with Dan Yaremko on bass and J.J Heath on drums) infused the old anarchist, anti-conformist anthems that crystallized D.O.A.’s place in the hardcore movement of the 1980’s with precision and modified energy. Joey Shithead displayed equal amounts of energy and vibrancy by swinging and wailing his guitar over his shoulder and around his head as he strummed dissonant chords. He experimented with a little Hendrix-esque guitar solos, and let his dentures play a few leads.

Joey growled into the microphone while the drum and bass thumped away in the background. This reggae and ska fan found comfort in the Clash inspired ska-punk tunes among the driving and fast songs. This supplied an interesting contrast of tight bass-drum riffs accompanied by Joey’s distorted guitar strokes.

D.O.A. jammed out a fuzzed up version of "War" to build up to the set's climax, with Joey and Dan doing callbacks of "War! What is it good for?! Absolutely nothing!" The crowd was energetic and danced and moshed throughout the entire set displaying ample familiarity with the bands material. D.O.A. prematurely left the stage only to return after a passionate cry for an encore from the now broken-in crowd. Their encore further encouraged by rounds of whiskeys that numerous die-hard fans enthusiastically supplied.

The crowd spiraled into a chaos of hair, leather, and airborne fists when the band broke into their self-titled theme song "D.O.A". After another calming ska number "War in the East", Joey Shithead expressed his appreciation to the crowd, indirectly referencing their infamous mantra of "talk minus action equals zero", stating that without crowds like the one present at Foufounes there would be no punk, only talk.

The evening ended with a prophetic message from the Canuck King of Punk Rock, "Together we will... Together we must... Bring this world to a better place." Wherever that place is, it most likely is wherever the D.O.A. is traveling next.

-- Mack Mackenzie hosts Revolution 33 1/3, Mondays at 2-3 pm