Alex Alvarez is an old school rock star in an ascendant star’s body. When he bounded on stage at Washington, DC's Atlantis to join the rest of his band Alexsucks on Monday night, the crowd exploded. And Alvarez immediately jumped off the stage and into the camera well during the opening number “Flinch” to let them get up close and personal.
In a black leather jacket and sunglasses, Alvarez looks a little bit like Lou Reed, though a less-snarling version. There are other moments where he can recall one of Reed’s foils from the early ‘70s, Marc Bolan, though far less glamificial. (OK – I just made that word up, but I think it rings true.)
But you do not have to turn back the clock fifty years to appreciate Alexsucks. They make very modern rock & roll. They often get lumped into the skate punk genre, but that seems to be largely based on Thrasher tattoos and lyrics that sometimes reference skating culture.
Alexsucks heats up a Monday night in DC
Musically, though they certainly can flirt with old school skate punk at times, they offer a more complete modern indie rock sound. Maybe a scuffed-up LCD Soundsystem. Maybe a less angsty early Korn. Maybe the Vines or an American Snuts. Alexsucks draws from a wide spectrum of loud, fast, and aggressive rock and roll.
And they deliver a monster good live show.
This is the second time the quartet has come to DC as headliners. This time, it is in support of their latest album Autopilot. The band has always been known for energetic live shows, and as they evolve, it is a blast to hear how their music morphs from the studio to the stage. Autopilot is filled with a very strong collection of indie rock. Live, those songs take on a much rougher texture.
On Monday, half of their tight 14-song set came from the new album, including the earworm whistle-along “The Headache” and a blow-out encore turn of “Worm in the Sun,” which had the dance floor positively trembling. Then there was the album’s title track, which featured Alvarez crowd surfing. (Somehow, crowd surfing during a song called “Autopilot” just feels right.)
The crowd already knew a few of the new songs but was singing along in full for some of the older favorites like “What’re We Doing Here” and “Talk to You.” The latter was one of the band’s earliest hits, when it was at its most skate punk. And on this particular night, drummer Jonny Ransom went at it so hard that they had to replace his battered bass drum.
“The Gutter,” title track from their 2023 debut album (which may or may not be an EP, depending on how anal you want to get about such things), is a flat-out pedal-down throbbing rocker. “Fish Don’t Fly,” from Autopilot indulges bass player/producer DJ Topgun’s synths, which feature more prominently on the new album.
But they are just about the growdiest synths you will find anywhere. (Fine – I made up another word. To me, “growdy” is old-school grody but with more positive vibes.) Fuzzing up those synths alongside John Luther’s fuzzed-up guitar provides a blanket of sound propelled forward by the rhythm section.
And then there is the timeless, anthemic “6 Pack and Cigarettes,” which could have been a Marc Bolan song. Or a Britpop hit. Or ladder-day Parquet Courts. Some songs are simply timeless.
Salt Lake City’s Dogma Society has been opening for Alexsucks on this tour, and they delivered a high-energy 40 minutes that featured powerhouse rockers like “Mute” and “See It All.” Some of their heavier numbers revved up the mosh pit, but the quintet seemed to be having their own pit on stage, joyfully careening off each other.
And they had done their homework, name-dropping DC legends Minor Threat and Bad Brains before launching into “Take My Hand,” one of their early numbers, which is reminiscent of the funkier side of RHCP if you pulsed them in a blender for a few seconds.
There was a surprise opener on Monday, and if the story told on stage is true, it seems perfect for the night's inclusive nature. Edward, a thrash punk quartet fronted by – you guessed it – Edward, introduced themselves by saying they had challenged Alex to the SKATE game and won, thereby earning their opening slot.
True or not, Edward made the most of their 25 minutes, powering through a strong set of speed and volume, while mostly adhering to solid song structure. Oh, and Edward also climbed onto Atlantis’ balcony at one point and sang while perched precariously on a few inches of floor outside the upper level’s railing. It had the Atlantis staff on edge.
But he completed the song, then made the 12-foot leap back onto the stage and went on with the show.
Later, when Alex stripped off his jacket (and, as an aside, by the end of each set, one or more members of each band had stripped off everything above the waist), he was wearing a pink Edward tee shirt – the very one you could buy at merch.
I don’t think Lou Reed ever did that.
Alexsucks and Dogma Society head to New York on Tuesday before swinging west for shows in Chicago, Minneapolis, and several other midwestern stops. They finish the current tour with a turn down the Pacific coast, ending in L.A. in late March.