If we were to define Punk Rock acts in terms of food, Bad Religion would be a complex salad, Black Flag a slab of lean steak, Ramones a tasty and surprisingly rich all-toppings-in sundae and The Casualties a box of Twinkies with a side of barbecue-flavored Ruffles chips.
The New York City-rooted, often neon-maned malcontents have been in the Street Punk niche for an impressive 22 years, grinding away in dives, mid-level clubs and Warped Tour stops without straying far from their songwriting comfort zone. Said comfort zone involves the members selecting a Punk-friendly topic (say, rioting), banging out a scrappy, sloppy, occasionally catchy tune and then letting lead dude Jorge bark barely intelligible lyrics that skim the subject’s surface. In part, the finished “Riot” goes, “Riots in your cities/Fucking riots in your schools/Riots in this country/We fucking riot just for you,” with the chorus repeating the title four times.
With little mixing and matching, every track falls into this category. The group's style is unabashedly formulaic and oafish, sapping nuance and reason from Punk while seizing every stereotype of the genre's rebellion and rage.
That being said, between the band's speedy sets and the dedicated packs of “Punx” that turn out in tow, the sheer enthusiasm of Casualties shows offer serious entertainment value and the strong possibility of leaving with an amusing anecdote. Even junk food can be good for the mental health now and then.
THE CASUALTIES perform Thursday, Sept. 13 at Bogart's in Corryville with GWAR. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.