Yeah, THAT Body Count. In what was a surprising night all around, the controversial metal band from 1992 is still kicking ass, believe me they were tighter then I could have ever imagined but before we get to them we need to talk about the under card this night.
Mickey’s Crew opened the show with a solid set of New York City Hardcore, but when Billyclub Sandwich took the stage all hell broke loose. Opening with “Sucker Punch” the dance floor in the transformed Polish Disco was a factory for beats, spin kicks and flying fists, and when they tossed a section of Ministry’s “Thieves” in the middle of the opener the place went to 11. The four-piece then dedicated a song to the troops called “Veterans Day” that had riffing and stomp parts galore. The blast beats of “Bronx Zoo” and the set closing “Slow With Your Hands” churned up the crowd and left the packed house wanting more.
Maximum Penalty played a short set of metal and gave the slam dancers a set to cool down before No Redeeming Social Value brought the party. Combining humor with a ferocious punk attack NRSV rampaged through their tunes with a flare and drunkenness all their own. “Pussy Pussy Pussy” got the crowd chanting along, “Still Drinking” and “New 64” praised the Olde English Gods, and “Beer =’s Fun” summed it up nicely. When “Skin Heads Rule” closed things it showed both the hilarity and diversity that is still alive and kicking in the New York Hardcore scene. Then it was Body Count Time.
Opening with a Black Sabbath “War Pigs” intro, Ice-T hit the stage flanked by his main man Ernie C and with an aggressively ripping low end they tore through their old songs, turning back the clock as they rocked out to “Evil Dick” and “There Goes The Neighborhood”. The sing along on “KKK Bitch” was classic as was Ice-T getting down with a naked Coco on stage. Ernie C is a metal guitarist to be seriously reckoned with, peppering in Jimi Hendrix lines to spice up almost every song. Ice-T ended the night by mentioning it was a historic show, never before had they played so close to a Police Station, and with that they went into “Cop Killer”. Law and Order SVU must be so proud .
