True rock n roll is alive and well. Gunfire 76, the new band led by Wednesday 13, rolled into Fubar in St. Louis on Saturday night and proved just that. For his latest project, Wednesday has meshed the glam style of his biggest influences (KISS, Alice Cooper, New York Dolls) with the snotty sneer of 70s punk to deliver a slab of rock that will make you sing along and kick your ass at the same time. Hes also put together an awesome line-up of stellar players who not only look like rock stars but have the stage presence to match.
Their 75-minute set was comprised of material both old and new; including some of 13s most popular songs and a couple of rarities thrown in for the die-hards. From the opening riff of Lets Kill The Hero, the band was on full tilt, rocking the small but dedicated crowd. Wednesday has put the guitar down for this tour and is simply the front-man – and doing a great job. He was in command and in the faces of those up front, even flipping upside down onto the crowd a couple of times. The animated duo of Roman Surman (Bourbon Crow) and Dave Muselman (Jet Black Stare) swapped riffs and solos throughout the set, showing off their impressive fretwork. Bassist Scott Whalen (Econoline Crush) was very energetic and laid down a solid foundation with the thundering drums of Rob Hammersmith (Rockets to Ruin).
In the midst of performing almost the entire Casualties & Tragedies CD, the band squeezed in a couple of W13 solo tracks, Home Sweet Homicide and the rarely played Die Sci-Fi. Get Me Through The Night briefly slowed things down prior to ripping One More Reason To Hate You. Wednesday then introduced the Murderdolls contribution to the Freddy vs. Jason soundtrack, Welcome To The Strange, which closed out the main set. Foregoing the typical cheesy encore, the band stayed on stage with the lights dimmed. The wait was short as the band soon ripped into the W13 monster Bad Things, which was followed by a trio of Frankenstein Drag Queens classics. During the crazed finale, Wednesday took a brief moment to lead the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to a fan in the front row. By the end of it all, the crowd was left sweaty, exhausted and with ringing ears. Gunfire 76 simply killed it.
If you like your rock loud and abrasive, check out Gunfire 76 when they hit your town. For tour dates and more, check out www.myspace.com/gunfire76.
Setlist:
Lets Kill The Hero
Home Sweet Homicide
Casualties And Tragedies
Nothings All I Need
Die Sci-Fi
Rocket to Nowhere
Los Angel-less
Back To The Gutter
Something For The Suffering
What Did You Expect
Get Me Through The Night
One More Reason To Hate You
Welcome To The Strange
Bad Things
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R.A.M.B.O.
I Love To Say Fuck
