Live At Mabuhay Gardens: November 7, 1980
Liberation Hall, 2023
10/10
Listen to Live at Mabuhay Gardens: November 7, 1980
Liberation Hall Records again unearths some under appreciated punk sounds from San Francisco, and this time it’s from the bristling outfit No Alternative, who ripped through this set in 1980, and they even tossed in a pair of previously unreleased studio tracks.
“Damned To Hell” gets the listen off to an energetic start, where Hugh Patterson’s raw, slurred voice is met with Jeff Rees’ bouncy bass making for a melodic, fuzzed out punk climate, and “The Good Die Young” follows with a similar approach that benefits from Greg Langston’s furious drumming amid the sing-along chorus.
Further into the set, “Boy With A Needle” thumps with a contagious energy of buzzing proto-punk ideas, while “Rockabilly Rumble” is a toe tappin’, head bobbin’ 2 minutes of darker, hypnotic post-punk nods.
The studio tracks arrive at the end and include “Witch Doctor” and “Working Class Boy”, where the former burns slower with rhythm and mood being particularly important, and the latter builds into a more fierce finish that benefits from the scrappy rhythm section, swirling guitar and well sung vocals.
Back in the day, No Alternative played with The Germs, Black Flag, D.O.A and Flipper and they released a 3 song EP Subterranean Records in 1980. They are still around today, only with John Hansen behind the drum kit, and this excellent recording captures an exciting time for punk in the Bay Area, where the trio we’re leading the charge with their anthemic vision.
Travels well with: Lloyds- Attitude Check; The Mutants- Curse Of The Easily Amused