1980
Liberation Hall, 2024
9/10
A San Francisco trio who existed from 1979 –1984, The Contractions, i.e. Kathy Peck, Mary Kelley and Debbie Hopkins, played New Wave and punk music that is documented here from two sets at the Mabuhay Gardens in 1980, plus 3 rare studio recordings.
“Shut The Door (Slam It)” starts the listen with a raw intensity that showcases the crisp drums and bouncy bass amid singing from all 3, and “Breaking Up Is Not Hard To Do” follows with Peck’s throbbing bass and Hopkins’ scrappy drums making for some tense post-punk.
Moving along, the moody “Tribute To Industry” is a bit quirky in all the best ways before turning into a speedy punk anthem, while the charged “Secretary Sacrifice” touches on all the aspect of old school punk that will always be exciting.
“Rules And Regulations” ends the live portion of the listen with an atypical rhythm alongside the harmonic singing, and of the studio tracks, “Early Warning” is particularly luminous, where intricate bass, dreamy guitar and agile drums suit the multi-faceted delivery.
During their heyday, The Contractions shared the stage with Dead Kennedys, The Offs, No Sisters, SVT, Jim Carroll and Flipper, among many others, and their contributions to the Bay Area punk and new wave scene are still inspiring female musicians to this day- which isn’t surprising considering how great they sound all these decades later.
Travels well with: Shakin’ Street- Scarlet: The Old Waldorf August 1979; Lloyds- Attitude Check