Black Lips obliterated Southern Comfort homecoming
New faces, scene fixtures and SoCo regulars mingled in the pit
Atlanta is a city that does more than appreciate irony, it nurtures it. On the same night that hometown garage-punk heroes Black Lips headlined a show at Southern Comfort — that outside-the-city-limits trucker bar where twentysomething Atlantans embrace redneckery and drink alongside the truest of Southern swillers — another punk show venue was booked at an odd. This one was at a barber shop — the Cut on Stovall Street — with younger bands the Husseins and A. Grimes, who owe some thanks to Black Lips for solidifying Atlanta as a worthwhile city in punk rock land.
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I wanted to see both shows, but poor planning left me restricted to just one, and I couldn’t turn down a raucous, sweaty throw-down at what’s arguably one of the city’s favorite places for a culture mashup, SoCo.
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The crowd was a melting pot of familiar faces, I spotted Kenny Crucial before even entering, kids I’d never seen before who likely came out of love for Black Lips and, of course, Southern Comfort’s regulars. While waiting for Turf War to kick things off, the owner of the bar, an older man wearing all black (hat included) and a bolo tie, thanked my friends and I for coming to the show.
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I asked if the regulars had to pay the $20 cover. In a plain, gruff he replied, “no,” but explained that they had to help move tables to make way for standing room and they’d have to help clean up, too. Them’s the breaks.