The Casualties
Words: John Prinzo
Photos: John Prinzo

Appeared:
June 19, 2007
BackBooth, Orlando

Awesome… if you’re 15.

I have a friend that is undergoing a pre-midlife punk resurgence. To him, punk is everything. For me, it is like pot –a gateway drug. Punk is the first hardcore music you experience before moving on to stronger, more powerful, and more thoughtful rock. Anyway, my friend is the reason I went to BackBooth to see The Casualties.

The first drawback to punk shows when you are a grown-up is that they usually start when the sun is still up. The pre-dusk show time lead me to miss “Punk for Life Tour”-mates L.A’s Time Again and Boston street punkers A Global Threat. The upside to this is that I don’t have to watch a procession of angry pre-teens coolly ignoring their moms as they saunter out of minivans.

When I get there, BackBooth is packed and hot. And, if I had any doubt as to what kind of show I stumbled into, the phrase, “fuckin’ hardcore motherfuckin’ punk fuckin’ rock” greeted me at the front door as I rode the magic carpet of PBR through my nostrils.

The Casualties took the stage and tore through their set. These guys are “street punk” a.k.a - fucking ugly. No primped “mall punk” here, The Casualties are serious. Jorge’s voice is classic hardcore, screeching and pissed. Megger’s drumming is solid and powerful and elevated their attack from sheer noise to tenacious.

Some of the standout songs were from 2004’s On The Front Line. “Casualties Army” and “The World Belongs to Us” created a frenzy through the room. The energy of the crowd is palpable, or maybe it’s just the B.O. and angst.  Navigating the swirling, all encompassing pit was hard with camera in hand… well, when in Rome. I cleared my path with a forearm to the throat here and elbow to the skull there. Wow, I miss this, but I am too old. I think I may have seriously hurt some 6th graders.

As Jorge’s trademark brightly colored hair spikes became flaccid so did my interest. Then, just like that, it was over. Time to beat the minivans.