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editor's note; this review was written long before Darkbuster reunited.
 DARKBUSTER-
Drink and Fall Over (Rotten
Drunks Records) Uncouth and drunk out of their minds, Darkbuster
drooled supreme over the Boston/New England punk scene for a few years
before their premature breakup in 2001. Two years later, Darkbuster is
playing spot shows here and there (but haven’t made plans to formally
reunite, as far as I know anyway), but it appears it may be tough to catch
these guys live for the foreseeable future as these rare shows sell out
quickly. Enter Drink and Fall Over and its nearly two hours of beer
soaked (I’ve been to a million punk shows and have never seen a band get
doused with as much beer as Darkbuster does) live madness. The main
feature is Darkbuster’s approx 35-minute set at the Middle East in
Cambridge, MA recorded May 2000; semi finals for the Rock-n-Roll Rumble,
which Darkbuster ended up winning. Recorded by two chaps, this insane gig
pretty much gives you an idea of what it’s like to witness what
Darkbuster is all about. If you watch closely, you can see one arsehole
stage diver land a nasty cheapshot to the face of some poor unsuspecting
soul. The DVD’s bonus material offers assorted one-song performances,
the recording session for “Take
the Fall,” the “Cheap Wine and Cigarettes” video, and
Darkbuster’s 23-minute set at The MassCann Freedom Rally (marijuana
legalization) held on the Boston Common during the summer of 2000. This
set was recorded by a sole cameraman, but looks and sounds great! Of the
one shot performances, my favorite is “I Hate The Unseen” with special
guests, The Unseen! Watching Gurley’s reaction to the microphone sharing
“Billy Idol looking Mother-fucker” is priceless!
Look, Darkbuster is great and this is one great DVD. Drink and
Fall Over nails the Darkbuster experience right over the head with a
beer bottle, empty beer bottle that is. The overall quality of the picture
and sound isn’t perfect, but on a scale of 1-10, I give it an 8. In the
past, if you’ve been an Askew Reviews reader, you’ve read my
recommendations to buy all Darkbuster CDs and to see them live. Along with
those two recommendations, I now highly recommend you purchase Drink
and Fall Over. It’s that good. – Denis Sheehan
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