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“Let’s fuck shit up,” Laura Jane Grace announces at the beginning of the band's live album, 23 Live Sex Acts. For the next 23 songs, Against Me! preceded to honour this mantra, taking their loyal fans on a relentlessly expansive tour through their strong back catalogue of six studio albums.
Recorded over their year long 2014 world tour, the live element is fitting for such a versatile band: raw vocals, distorted guitars and whining feedback joining forces to create bold and unrelenting walls of sound. Close your eyes and transport yourself into a sea of crowds absolutely losing their shit, spitting back every last line in true punk spirit.
Be it the short and sharp punches of 'Cliche Guevara', or the victorious opening of 'Transgender Dysphobia Blues', ‘FUCKMYLIFE666’, the album offers slices of unashamedly heart on your sleeve punk songs in a glorious and chaotic live setting.
By the time ‘I Was A Teenage Anarchist’ kicks in, you’ve been won over. Make sure you're on the move if you plan on listening with headphones, though. You may lose control of your limbs on a packed tube or bus, accidentally uppercuting a helpless old lady who just wanted to make it home in time for The Archers.
Offering interesting insights into various songs (White Crosses "is a song about getting high on speed) and an intense encounter between Laura Jane Grace and an unforgiving security guard ("Hey fucking asshole, if he leaves you have to get up here and play"), 23 Live Sex Acts is the closest you'll come to experiencing the swift punch of an Against Me! show without actually heading to one.
Offering a hard hitting and unrelenting journey through the band's rich musical history, 23 Live Sex Acts is a fitting addition to Against Me!'s ongoing legacy.
Buy the album, then buy a ticket. Simple.
