Live: Hard Skin with Murderess @ Acheron 8.13.12

Hard Skin shows on this side of the pond can be pretty scattershot, but the last couple years have been pretty kind to us Americans in that regard. I would expect that the estimable Ian Dickson has something to do with their popping up in Brooklyn of late. You will find no complaints from JS-NYC, as rarely does an old man get the opportunity for laugh his ass off while he's pumping his fist in the air.

Portland's mostly female metal franchise Murderess opened the proceedings and seemed to do pretty well for attracting a lot of hygenically challenged ladies (and dudes). Not the best thing I've ever heard, but better than a lot of other bands on the grind/metal end of things. They have a couple good tunes and the lead guitar can rip off a lead or two when she's called upon, so we'll keep them on the radar.

The poster for the Hard Skin show they did a year or so ago with Forgetters had the gents in caricature as the Three Stooges. There are considerably less apt corollaries. Hard Skin ply their trade in new(ish) songs based in the sing-along anti-fascist Oi! tunes of yore, with Paddy Costello levels of smart-assdom filling in the spots between. You'd be a fool not to like it, and it didn't seem any of same were in attendance at Acheron. Perhaps they got pushed to the back once the kids started getting frisky, but Hard Skin sure brought it in their usual fashion.

Hard Skin has got a new singles comp called We're The Fucking George that features most, if not all, of your favorites covered in their set. Couldn't tell you where to get it outside of their live shows, but I'd step lively and get yourself a copy with the quickness if I were you.

R