Punk isn’t dead, it’s Rad with the METHMATICS and RADKEY
“It’s a fucking Wednesday night, in the middle of Ohio and I’m like I hope these people show up” were the thoughts running through MethMatics lead singer Christal Meth’s head before taking the stage for the band’s opening gig with Radkey at A & R Music Bar in Columbus on May 24th.
“When you play these kinds of places where they don’t just ask anybody and they ask with expectations, you always feel like there’s a little bit of weight on your shoulders and you are like I hope these people that normally show up, show up“.
The pressure was high but Christal had nothing to worry about because the people, they did show up and were treated to a night of loud, glamorous punk music featuring two high energy bands.
METHMATICS
MethMatics are a local Columbus punk rock band who specialize in being a “spectacle” according to guitarist Joey Yates when asked how he would explain the group to someone who has never experienced them before. “We’re a spectacle. We’ve made the joke before that even if you didn’t like our music, you’d like the show, so we try to be as entertaining and memorable as possible both through the uniform look, and the flamboyant singer but underneath all of that, we try to write super catchy songs, very 70’s New York in style punk songs that get stuck in your head.”
“It’s so rad. I’m really excited. I’ve been listening to them for a while now, we saw them at Rumba a couple years ago which is was like a really, really, fun neat show, then a bunch of my friends and I saw them at Riot Fest last year, so it’s really cool to be on the bill with them this time around. I mean yeah, I’m really excited to see them. I probably am as excited to watch them play as I am to play. “
You could see that excitement radiate throughout the entire band when they took the stage with the entertaining, memorable, and energetic set they put on that evening. It was the chaos you have come to known if you’ve seen them and it was the spectacle Joey spoke of it you haven’t. Dawning their all black with white ties out fits, and Christal in the diva’s Sunday best, they did what they do best, play those catchy songs of theirs, while having a good time and hoping you do the same.
Their fan favorite song “Have a nice day (motherfucker)” had the normal flair of Christal and Joey interacting with the crowd by flipping them off and the regulars returning the favor.
MethMatics always set the bar high at every show they play and I think they double delivered on this one for sure.
After the show was over and the pressure was off, I asked Christal his thoughts on how it went. “It was a great show, I think we fucking nailed it. We walked off that stage and were looking at each other and we’re going fuck, that’s the best we can do. It’s throwing a no hitter that’s what we fucking did, we threw a fucking no hitter.“
That’s a pretty accurate statement and I have no better way to describe it.
Want to catch one of the over the top energetic shows where you might witness band members stomping around in heels and/or leaping off the stage with guitar in toe to join the mosh pit, well you can do so at one of their up coming gigs here in Columbus starting with Comfest in June and August 11th at the Stoop. A show Joey highly recommends you see because “the Stoop is going to be a lot of fun, it’s going to be a really wild time it’s always super crazy down there we can really let loose with how we want to play and we are playing with a great band out of Detroit called The Idiot Kids who very much align with us and how energic and awesome they are, but I mean they are just a really great band.“
They are also putting the finishing touches on their second full length album and hope to have it out in fall or early winter of this year.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ZV0S6GNbA8lfuFeD6deVf?si=E_3aILvPQnWvnX8IKDpkZg
RADKEY
The task now laid in Radkey’s hands to match or up the tempo for the night and the three brothers from Missouri had no problem doing so. From Isaiah’s “can’t stand still” energy of running, jumping and skipping around the stage all while playing his bass to Dee’s singing, bopping around, and playing guitar from his knees, to Solomon’s killer hard hits on the kit, the trio made anyone over a certain age feel tired by just watching them. (Myself included) They give breath to a new wave of the genre more brilliantly than most on the scene can these days. The ability to keep the audience up and moving through the entire set impressed me the most. That crowd did not stop until the band did. There were several times I even found myself getting pushed into the barriers. It was definitely a show like no other.
If you are looking to check out the new coming of punk music, make sure you look up Radkey. You won’t be disappointed.
Find them here:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1egsOeSvcQyacni1rL6c4C?si=Xam4ggETTeKo8emm_ldBFA
https://www.instagram.com/radkeyrock/
