Vol.4, RnR PP‘s latest party at Obros pub in Hamra – Beirut attracted over 150 attendees, whose majority consists of college students enjoying spring break along the tunes of renowned local rock band Lazzy Lung who released their first full length “Strange Places” this past year and Victims of the System who are best known for their Rage Against the Machine manifestos and energetic performances.
As the event was set to start, everyone got invited in by no other than Nacho Libre himself, who later turned out to be Lazzy Lung’s charismatic vocalist! Led by three guitarists, Lazzy Lung kicked off the night with a performance that’s simply perfect for such ‘party’ gigs. Call it whatever you like, their punk demeanor and alternative/indie rock rhymes reminded me of an essential part in Rock music: amusement. Hell they even got down and dirty at times with full blown riffs and as Nacho a.k.a “Allan” said, ‘screaming your lungs out’ vocals.
What’s truly significant about this band is that their originals are really solid in terms of structure and composition. You could spot all sorts of influences in their sound from alternative / indie rock to gypsy and even punk, all put together creating a fun and memorable show, although the sound wasn’t that great (5 piece band with two vocalists is hardly manageable in a small pub like Obros).
Nevertheless, everyone must definitely go see Lazzy Lung perform at indoor gigs/parties as their live show is far more energetic than their studio recordings.
PIZZA! Oh well, it wasn’t that good. Actually the only thing that bothered everyone was the combination of cold pizzas and hot beers. According to many attendees, “open pizza” didn’t mean “cold and randomly distributed in form of rounds”, which in case you got lucky, you’d end up with a single slice of pizza per round. Organizers must properly advertise their events in a clear manner that wouldn’t get anybody disappointed and talking about poor organizing. I was actually having fun and wasn’t that bothered by the issue but it was noticeable to say the least.
Going last but certainly not least, Victims of the System were the unlucky underdogs of the night, mostly due to the sound engineer attempting some sort of ‘live soundcheck’ while the band was trying to get a constant solid sound going on. Other minor technical problems were the offspring of the band itself but that was fine by the fans as the band got into their comfort zone: covering Rage Against the Machine where noise and clarity matter less than attitude and hardcore beats of “Bulls On Parade“, “Testify“, “Sleep Now in the Fire” and “Killing in the Name Of“, all classic RATM songs well performed by the band under the circumstances. I would say that although they went through hell that night, VOTS managed to end the show with the crowd’s applaud.
Finally, I know that RnR PP are bound by a contract with Norman Pizza and Lebanese Brew Beer but that doesn’t mean that pizza shouldn’t be hot and beer shouldn’t be cold so hopefully that issue will be resolved before the upcoming Vol.5 on May 7th (more details on that soon).
Put that aside, everyone should seriously attend one of these parties if you’re in for some fun after a long day’s work!
