Friday evening was filled with upbeat garage rock and surfy dance tunes from Tijuana Panthers that had you spilling beer on the floor.
Polish started the night on a good note. The four-piece group laid down heavy grunge songs reminiscent of the 90s. Every member was doing their part to ensure a full, hefty sound. A wall of noise was playing from both half-stack amps while the drummer kept everything tight with amazing timing. Their bassist sang nice harmonies while the two guitarists screamed their lyrics out, adding a bittersweet balance to the melodies.
After what seemed like a bass amp overheating (smoke emitted from the amp briefly), Sixes were ready to take the stage. Moments into playing, it made sense why they were on the bill in the first place: filled with reverb-drenched surf guitar and punk drumming, the trio comprised an ideal surf rock band with their tunes just as upbeat as headliners Tijuana Panthers. The guitarist used fancy pedals to create a sweet slap/delay sound. They finished strong with an awesome cover of Devo’s “Gut Feeling” into one of their own songs. It’s a bummer that Sixes does not have recorded music available yet but they’re expected to drop a release soon!
After the great two supporters, everyone was ready to watch Tijuana Panthers bring their signature surf punk sound. They opened up with a new banger off their recent release Ghost Food. Drummer Phil Shaheen delivered vocals with attitude as he slammed on the snare during “Playing For the Old.” Soon into the set, they started to perform classics such as “Redheaded Girl” and “Creature” that got everyone in the crowd singing along.
As Tijuana Panthers played hits across their discography, members from local band Los Shadows and I finally got a mosh pit started during the fast punk song “Reaction.” The momentum kept going from there and reached its peak when they paid homage to local legends The Soft Pack by covering “Right and Wrong.” The security guard became cautious of the situation but soon realized that everyone was just having a good time dancing like goofballs. The man was having fun himself, laughing and smiling at the attendees going crazy.
Tijuana Panthers will be performing at You Are Going To Hate This Fest 2 on February 18th! The bill includes The Frights, The Garden, Death Lens, and so much more. It will most likely sell out so don’t miss this all-star lineup.
Read the small interview we did with the band below.
How long have y’all been doing music for?
Phil: We started Tijuana Panthers almost 10 years ago but have been in different bands since the late 90’s, so for quite a bit now.
I’ve been listening to you guys since I was 15. I have to ask, who is the “Redheaded Girl”?
Chad: (light laughter) When I was in middle school, there was this redheaded girl who was lonely and the other kids would pick on her so I wrote about that.
Lastly, is there any new material that Tijuana Panthers is working on that we should look out for?
Phil: Yes, we are releasing an EP on Record Store Day.