Despite being a fan of not only music in genral but especially pop punk, Handheld are not a band I’d heard of before, and here they are celebrating 25 years.
In my defence, the Press notes admit they are a “fast melodic punk band that might have escaped your radar” and the venue for the live recording is small, which hints they went under a lot of people’s radars.
It’s a good album, albeit with derivative music. It was recorded in a jammed, small club, which gives the feel of sweaty energy and they pretty much know everyone there: family, the guy whose basement they rehearsed in, old fans, friends.
They seem like nice guys – they’re Canadian after all – and the chat is witty, with jokes about people in the crowd and the fact that the band took a long hiatus, suggesting the gig will stop that long too.
The set is chronological. The songs are predictable: super fast drums, riffy guitar, shouty, shambolic vocals and harmonies, plenty of chord changes. More NOFX than Blink 182 and fans of the former should give it a listen.
See thousandislandsrecords.bandcamp.com.
JMC
Handheld: Live at 25
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