Helmet @ The Historic Nile Theater
Not all shows are for the headliner. Though the headliner may be the biggest draw to a show, sometimes we go for the openers you know to taste something new. Sometimes, the new experiences are nestled with some nostalgia from the past. It’s these types of shows that have become a personal favorite of the Pack. Though the Helmet show wasn’t a name we recognized, it was a chance to catch up with War on Women and get a surprising delight from Slomosa, all the way from Norway. It was an amazing night of friends, new music, and surprisingly familiar riffs that made this show a blast.
War on Women is a high energy feminist punk band that we’ve had the pleasure of seeing more than a few times before. Shawna Potter, vocals, was one of Punk Pack’s very first interviews at Vans Warped Tour 2017. Which made it an easy choice to head to the historic Nile Theater for a show. While it has been a shame the Punk Pack hasn’t kept up on their favorites in the last four years; it granted the opportunity to hear their newer work as well as previous favorites. As expected, War on Women never disappoint on stage. As they tour, they bring various free contraceptives along with their merch to promote safe sex in the scene to continue the band’s mission to make spaces safer.
Following next was Slomosa. Before and after their set, the pack kept hearing murmurs of them being stoner rock but the Pack agrees that it is better placed as Slomosa has coined – tundra rock. A pleasantly smooth sound with a balance among the various instruments. The Punk Pack’s only trouble was hearing the vocals clearly. Upon searching their bandcamp, the Pack concludes that was more due to the audio balance at the venue as their recorded sound has a better equal balance. While not bass heavy but present, Slomosa gives a full sound with guitars that can easily take you away and keeps you dancing. The Pack was honored to catch them during their first visit the Arizona and the desert as stated by the band’s vocals/guitar, Benjamin Berdous. The Punk pack hopes it won’t be long before Slomosa leaves the tundra and visits the desert again.
The headliner of the nigh, Helmet, seemed new to the Pack. Celebrating their 30th anniversary of the album release, Betty. Yet, there was something about riffs that triggered a nostalgic response. It was early in their set that this author’s brain placed what was so familiar – classic Doom. For those who may not have a living memory of the 90s; Doom was s first person shooter game that popularized the genre with many of their tracks pulling inspiration from metal bands of the early 90s. Two tracks from classic Doom gained inspiration from Helmet; “Kitchen Ace (and Taking Names)” was partly inspired by “Unsung” and “Suspense” contained hints of “Turned Out” respectively. It was just enough similarity to recall childhood days of fighting back Hell’s hoards and the Punk Pack adjusted from critical listening to unbridled excitement. So, while the band name is new to the eyes and ears of the Pack, some of Helmet’s instrumentals are etched upon our youth. Once that realization clicked, the rest of the night was an easy vibe to the music and imagining one as their inner bad ass.
It was a shame to leave the headliner set early. Though stepping outside the venue to review Shawna Potter again after seven-and-a-half years was well worth it. We spoke more on her role as an intimacy coordinator and her podcast, “But Her Lyrics…” which is currently running its fifth season available on Apple, Spotify, and shawnapotter.com.
