THE CHATS/COSMIC PSYCHOS – HOUSE OF BLUES

Local Scene

2023-10-23

THE CHATS/COSMIC PSYCHOS – HOUSE OF BLUES – BOSTON

By Bailey Grullon

Punk is thriving and The Chats brought a world exposition to the House Of Blues in Boston. The night brought out every creed of punk rockers from old school to new school including The Chats’ youngest 9 year old fan.

The show starts with a legendary 3 band opening from Gymshorts out of Rhode Island, The Schizophonics from California, and Cosmic Psychos from Australia.

The Gymshorts fronted by guitarist and vocalist, Sarah Greenwell, promoted the first mosh pit of the night while hammering the guitar and performing songs like “0 Thanks Given”, a proclamation about not wanting to see the relatives during Thanksgiving and just eating good food. Finishing the set in true pink fashion, Sarah crawled over the barrier between stage and audience, mic in hand, and ended the song with the crowd’s eager participation.

Photos Bailey Grullon

Next up was a set from The Schizophonics which words cannot do justice, but explosive comes to mind. Singer and guitarist Pat Beers has infinite stores of energy, twisting, jumping, flipping, and bounding across the stage; complete with titanium knees. With music drawing inspiration from punk legend Iggy Pop, The Sonics, and James Brown, the band presented a part of punk for everyone. Next time you see The Schizophonics on the bill, do yourself a favor and buy the tickets.

Photos Bailey Grullon

As the crowd waited in anticipation wondering what the next set would bring, Cosmic Psychos made their entrance. This show continuing their 40th Anniversary tour and the set did not disappoint. Proving punk has no age, these guys could shred next to anyone, including over the head guitar complete with gyrating bodies. Rounding out their eccentric set in true “f-you” punk fashion, the belts were removed and the pants were dropped for a wild final reveal.

Photos Bailey Grullon

Finally, The Chats enter the stage with a backdrop that reads “Get Fucked”. This three piece Australian punk rock group is known for their songs that describe the culture of Australia with songs like “Smoko” referencing an Australian smoke break along with “Pub Feed”. Their songs have straightforward lyrics with nothing convoluted and nothing to hide making for easy listening and easy head thrashing.

Photos Bailey Grullon

It was a pleasure to see punk rock represented across the world and across all ages. If you see any of these bands on a lineup, every single one carries a strong reccomendation.