Photos and Review by LUIS MORENO
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The year is 2022, but as I walk into Alex’s Bar to catch The Spits show I’m transported back to the 1979 punk shows of my youth. The only difference is the crowd is a good mixture of ages and the show is in a respectable venue.
Everyone is just waiting for the band that described themselves as “Punk for the People.” I’m pressed up against the stage while people start to push forward ready to hear noisy, loud and dirty sonic lo-fi sound, which The Spits have crafted for 30 years.
The Spits finally come on stage and appear in costumes, for which they are known.
The energy around starts to really amp up. The first guitar riff of “Rip Up” starts flying and so does the beer, bourbon, and water bottles from the people. Next thing I know I’m fully drenched in Pabst Blue Ribbon. I try to snap photos like I’m standing on an electric bull, trying to keep my balance and camera focus on point …very difficult. But I’m having a great time watching the people slamming, swaying, and moshing in the pit, just like 1979 at a garage punk show.
The Spits’ songs are rapid firing at their followers and heads are banging up and down. By the second song, people have already started rushing the stage so they could stage dive and crowd surf. I swing my camera to the left and a foot goes flying by my head. I swing my camera back to the right and another body is launched. This kind of energy and reckless abandon can only be found at real punk shows.
As the show goes deeper and deeper into its arsenal, the band members start to get annoyed with stage divers because they’re being slammed back onto the stage. The divers are colliding into mic stands, drums and the band. But that’s not deterring the music or the divers.
The Spits continue adding fuel to the fire with songs like “I’m Scum,” “Shitty World,” “Rat Face,” “Black Kar,” “Nuke,” and “Spit Me Out.” They announce they’re down to their last song. I take that as my cue to exit out a side door. So, I push and shove my way out. As I step outside onto Anaheim Ave, I’m brought back to 2022. I’m a little tired, sweaty and beer soaked. But damn I had great time.
