As one of the early adopters of hardcore punk in California, a state which spawned some of the all time greatest punk rock bands, Agent Orange has surprisingly also been one of the few to plow along all the way into 2017. Like most others, they’re down to just one original member, though singer and guitarist Mike Palm is probably the most important member of the group so that isn’t a massive qualm for fans.
More importantly, Agent Orange is one of the few that hasn’t tried to drag their own legacy through the mud. They’ve put out one album since their 1980’s heyday, 1996’s Virtually Indestructible, and they’ve focused on nothing but touring since. No embarrassing What the…situations a la contemporaries Black Flag, who released that shameful record in 2013 also down to one original member and featuring the worst album cover possibly of all time.
All that is to say that when fans hit the floor at Grizzly Hall last Thursday night to see Agent Orange, they knew what they were getting into. There were no dreadful new tracks to sit through, just an hour of straight fire punk rock classics, and Agent Orange’s modern day lineup delivered that perfectly.
The audience was a mix of older heads and young decked out punks with liberty spikes and all, looking like they stepped out of a 1983 documentary. They filled up the newer venue, which has undergone slight changes since its sale to Come and Take It Productions last November. Even the band continually remarked on how nice of a place Grizzly Hall is; almost too nice for punk, but not quite. It’s still a beer swiller’s paradise.
While time has taken its toll on Palm, surrounding himself with a younger crew has definitely helped keep Agent Orange alive and well. The hired guns rocked it hard, and the performance of drummer Dave Klein was one of the highlights of the show. Palm’s still got the voice and the chops on guitar too, even if he looks like a dad and vapes on stage these days.
Overall the band was tight and composed, putting on a raucous ripping of classics like “Everything Turns Grey” and “Too Young to Die.” Their most famous song, “Bloodstains,” came at the end and was ironically the only time the band seemed to fall apart, either missing their cue and having to improvise or purposely throwing a bizarre jam in the middle. Either way, “Bloodstains” turned into a mess until they went back into the chorus. If it was on purpose, improv clearly isn’t their forte and they should stick to playing the songs straight.
Luckily that was probably the only down moment of the night. For the most part, Agent Orange still rock hard and clearly please the hell out of their audience. There will always be more kids who were too young to be there when bands like these were in their prime, begging to see them one last time, and Agent Orange gives them exactly what they want: a night spent partying like it’s 1981. Put on your leather and spikes and check them out next time they come through.