Kim Phuc unleashes blast of sound on full-length LP
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Kim Phuc took its time in releasing "Copsucker."
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The rest of the world has latched on to Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller as the Pittsburgh sound, but in the unlikely event people are looking for a skull-crushing punk rock band from our fine city, we can proudly submit ... Kim Phuc.
The band formed in 2004, taking its name from the naked Vietnamese girl fleeing a napalm attack in that Pulitzer-winning photo.
If a napalm attack needed a soundtrack, Kim Phuc could certainly oblige, with its scraping, churning guitars, bludgeoning rhythm section and the petulant roar of frontman Rob Henry.
With: Sickoids, Raw Blow.
When: 8 p.m. Friday.
Where: The Shop, 4314 Main Street, Bloomfield.
Admission: $6.
The band's reputation preceded it, with Mr. Henry stemming from Direct Action, backed by guitarists Ben Smartnick (Brain Handle) and Eli Kasan (Mary Celeste), bassist Corey Lyons (local legends Aus Rotten and Caustic Christ) and drummer Tom Payne (Baby Bird, Ice Capades).
Kim Phuc debuted in 2008 with a 7-inch on the Chicago punk label Criminal IQ. In November, it leaked the full-length, "Copsucker" (some copies on color vinyl), which gets its official release with a show Friday at The Shop.
"Copsucker" is an uncompromising, unrelenting blast of sound that finds the sweet spot between vintage '70s punk and the hardcore that raged shortly after. Guitarist Smartnick has mentioned the Germs and Hot Snakes as influences, but in Kim Phuc's sound, you can also hear such above-the-radar bands as The Stooges, the Pistols, Joy Division and Black Flag. The raging guitarist was kind enough to fill in a few details for us:
So you put out the 7-inch three years ago. What was the delay in getting out the full-length?
There are roughly a hundred reasons for the delay, but the onus is all on us. It took some extra time to write the newer songs, and the quality control was set fairly high. We probably threw out about 10 songs we had written that never made it beyond the rehearsal space. Put that on top of some poorly timed illnesses, two tours, a marriage, a divorce, a label going under, and some run-of-the-mill band fallout, I'm surprised the record made it out at all.
First Published January 5, 2012 12:00 am
