Chaos in Tejas, Day 2

Friday night was oddly mellower for me than Thursday. Not as much running between Mohawk, Emo’s and Beerland.

Emo’s featured 35-year old pub/punk/proto-oi! band Cock Sparrer headlining, a gig which had been sold out for weeks. As a result of that and counter-programming, Beerland took it on the chin again (this will not be true Sunday when Pierced Arrows play there). But there were sets to be found there that moved way past punk into drive-you-out-of-the-room abrasive.

Emo’s was understandably nuts with even an early-ish inside set from Young Offenders pretty packed. A bit later, increasingly popular (on a very small scale, of course) Danish punk trio Hjertestop thrashed away to a full house.

The question of the night from Hjertestop’s singer: “Do any of you actually speak Danish?” This would have been funnier if they weren’t from Denmark. Also, no, we do not. So he taught us something completely unprintable in a family newspaper.

Over at Beerland, a duo called Deflag Haemorrhage/Haien Kontra played improvisational electronics after a set from Austin grindcore kings Hatred Surge, a local band many out of towners were there to see.

According to witnesses, a couple of frat dudes made sport of Hatred Surge, but rna out of the club once the brutal laptops-plus-pedals skree of Deflag Haemorrhage/Haien Kontra started, well, surging with hatred through the speakers. They rumbled away to a nearly empty room, which was impressive in and of itself.

Later that evening Total Abuse singer Rusty Kelley played with his disturbing power electronics crew Country Club, which mixed contact-mic-ed metal, shearing digital distortion, a bit of screaming and samples of a man talking about the Ruby Ridge

It was a good night for those from Spain and the surrounding areas. The Basque noisemaker known as Mattin was one half of Deflag Haemorrhage/Haien Kontra and played guest second guitar during Drunkdriver’s brilliant, one song, ten minute headlining set at Beerland. (See them sans Mattin tonight at Emo’s and tomorrow at Sound on Sound). I would totally put out a record of that song.

At Emo’s, Barcelona hardcore band Destino Final blew minds with their massive, heavily distorted sound, vocals reverbed to the limits of human understanding. A mess of D.F. played in Invasion, who killed at last year’s Chaos in Tejas. It was no wonder that these folks killed as well; it took me exactly one song to speed over to the merch table and yell, “ONE DESTINO FINAL LP PLEASE.”

Cock Sparrer’s set featured an Emo’s as packed as I’ve ever seen it. It was neat to see so many skinheads - and no, I don’t know their individual politics - in plaid shirts, Levi’s and Doc so excited to see the band which all but invented the working class, sing-along street punk that changed their lives. In front of a giant C.S. logo, the band chugged though songs old and new, some dating to the band’s founding in 1974.

Hearing a punk band formed that long ago singing “What’s It Like to Be Old?” is oddly moving. Perhaps they never thought they’d get there, but they’re there now. And there still here, on stage, getting people to shout along.