WASHINGTON, October, 20, 2011 —Hostage Calm opened up their set at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington DC intent on efficiency. Once they were on stage it was all business from there on out.
It might seem contradictory, but the Connecticut rockers bled punk energy throughout the night.
Of course saying a band like Hostage Calm is punk is a loaded claim. The term “punk” carries a lot of baggage these days. So many bands have either been labeled punk, either by others or themselves. It’s a label that packs a lot of meaning and can rub people the wrong way for various reasons.
Hostage Calm wears the label proudly, baggage and all.
Punk bands started to appear in the late ‘70s and prominently gained steam in Britain. Bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Buzzcocks, dominated the scene, but not a lot connected them from a musical stand point other than an ideology. There were dozens of bands who sounded different but all played under the banner of punk, the only thing connecting them is they wanted to just play simple rock and roll and they wanted their music to mean something.
It's the simplistic version of punk’s history, but the simplicity inspired several bands. Hostage Calm is one of the bands recently who have taken the idea of punk and applied to their band.
Musically, they’re a straight up rock band. They meld various styles of post-hardcore and post-punk, with slight hints of pop and folk scattered throughout. On their most recent self titled, all of these influences come out in full force. The songs on the album even reach something of a mid tempo feel and they hit an even keeled pace. Their live shows are a different matter though.
The style and influences are still there, but instead taking their time, Hostage Calm instead hit everything at a blistering pace. Each song was trimmed down as they picked up the pace. This also included sparse interaction with the audience, except for a few set-ups to songs.
Most bands now break up a 40 minute set by playing fewer and fewer songs, chatting with the audience while they take of technical things. It makes a connection with the audience, but it sometimes waters down the actual music being played. Not Hostage Calm though. They bring back an earlier mentality of punk by blowing through the songs they had lined up.
This is what Hostage Calm is all about on stage. While some might scoff at calling their sound punk, it’s hard to say their ideology isn’t. The songs are fast and loose, and the band bristles with energy despite their workmanlike approach.
They also make it quite clear they want to translate the meaning of their songs to the audience. So often if bands are making statements in their songs, the meaning gets lost in the noise. When a band talks to the audience, they choose their words carefully. It creates a bigger impact when they do pause in between songs and causes the audience to ruminate.
Hostage Calm taking this kind of approach might be a turn off to some people. It’s easy to interpret this attitude as self serious or lacking charisma, but it’s hard to stop watching a band this intense. There’s no stiffness, they just play with purpose and focus.
To a band like Hostage Calm, the message means everything and the easiest way to get it out there is through their music. It was a method in music long before punk but their immediacy and urgency on stage makes them as punk as a band can be these days.
Stephen Bradley is an avid music listener. Read more of his work in Riffs at the Washington Times Communities.
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