The Mission Creek concert Wednesday night at Gabe’s was the epitome of punk. Each band played very fast and very loud, and gave the fans the kind of respect that one should expect from punk bands, you know, spitting, cussing, throwing cups, etc.

The opening band was Paducah, formerly known as [gluestick], from Grinnell, Iowa. This batch of young men was everything you’d want in an opening punk band; Their singer’s shouts were basically incomprehensible and their instrumentals were overwhelmed with distortion.

The second band was Iowa City’s own Nerv. I knew I would enjoy this band’s performance before they even started, strictly on the fact that their drummer had a great beard that became long enough to mesh with his raggedy hair. Even though most of their songs seemed to be about 30 seconds, they were very entertaining, aided by their vocalist’s attempts at comedy in between songs. But I guess the crowd wasn’t rowdy enough, so he took the liberty to personally start a violent mosh pit himself.

The pit only got more fierce once the local legend Slut River took the stage. Slut River, by the way, may be one of my favorite band names of all-time. This was the fourth time I’ve seen drummer Joe Ross perform (who also plays in Supersonic Piss, which is another phenomenal band name) and he always impresses me. I was also impressed with how long vocalist Anna McDermott was able to crowd surf while still singing. Despite technical difficulties with their guitar, the band put on a great show.

After three local bands, the final band to play hailed from Canada, of all places. White Lung, from Vancouver, plays a style of punk that is aggressive, yet catchy. Vocalist Mish Way was very animated throughout their performance, but managed to balance a full cup on her head for half a song, granted their songs are about two minutes long. The band pumped out their songs without much pause, and left the stage after their last song without a pause either. I thought that came off surprisingly rude, especially considering they’re Canadian, but that’s punk for ya.

If punk is your thing, this was your concert. The performers were as rambunctious as the crowd, making for a truly entertaining concert.

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The night kicked off with T’Bone, a young punk trio that could definitely play their instruments. Their songs had very strange arrangements though. It would appear as though they were building into a solo, and then completely stop, just to slowly start back up. All three attempted to sing at some point, but none had much success.

Following the fair opening act of T’Bone was the more mellow Muscle Drum. Their drummer never sat down, which sort of annoyed me. The guitar playing was decent, but all of their songs sounded very similar. Unfortunately, Muscle Drum was lost in the shadow of the bands to follow them.

This is where the party started. Supersonic Piss, as well as Slut River who went after them, did something I had never seen in a concert before. Rather than performing on the perfectly good stage they chose to play on the floor surrounded by their audience, literally close enough to touch. They brought the mosh pit to them.

The two bands were similar, but different enough to stand out separately. They shared the same drummer, Joe Ross, who I was able to get a nice chat with after Slut River’s performance. He was a very cool guy who explained how he enjoys playing for multiple bands. Being a huge fan of hard rock, he likes how he can play for the metal Supersonic Piss and then for the hardcore punk Slut River. Oh yeah, and he can play the hell out of those drums.

Both bands also feature a female lead vocalist, which I guess could have been a theme for the night since Erase Errata does as well. I was very impressed with the quality of their screaming and shouting vocals, as well as the energy they brought to the audience.

After the two phenomenal floor acts of Supersonic Piss and Slut River, which are great names by the way, Erase Errata returned to the stage. And they were fantastic. The all-female punk/noise rock band showed up all of the previous bands with their musicianship. Improvising solos and clinchers to their songs added another level to their tunes that the other bands just didn’t have. Not only were the paying spectators at Gabe’s moshing, but members of all the earlier bands were right there with us.

Erase Errata was the perfect ending to such a hyped night. Punk may not be for everyone, but to those who enjoy it, this was the show to go to. The high pitched ringing I woke up to and continued to hear the following day was well worth it.

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Joe Ross and Anna McDermott, members of Iowa City punk bands Slut River and Supersonic Piss, came in to have a brief conversation at the KRUI Mission Creek Lounge on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. The two talked about the demise of Iowa City’s White Lightning Wherehouse venue, playing house shows, and their upcoming projects.

Listen to the audio of the Slut River and Supersonic Piss interview here:

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