Pulled Apart By Horses

One of the few bands I caught in Austin during SXSW Interactive that I had to talk about to everyone within earshot was Pulled Apart By Horses. I caught them at the British Embassy space and they played right after Jonquil, who, for the record, were depressingly boring, painfully twee and indie in all the worst ways. After Jonquil, I considered leaving the venue for fear that the entire lineup would be similarly boring and toothless. But I stayed and was handsomely rewarded with a blistering set of punk rock music. With a sound that recalls mostly 90s grunge and "alternative" greats like Helmet, The Refused and The Jesus Lizard, as well as a touch of McClusky, this quartet know those who came before them and are dutifully standard bearing for all things punk, hardcore, and rock and roll.

But it wasn't just the music that impressed me, PABH also brought that sense of urgency that I look for in all of my music, no matter what the genre. Blowing the entire PA before even finishing their first song, then proceeding to a 30 minute barrage of stage diving, jumping off the stacks, playing in the crowd, jumping on the bar and simply expressing all the rage and fun that punk rock is meant to be, Pulled Apart By Horses prove that the reports of the death of rock music may be greatly exaggerated. Horray for angry youth and misdirected anger!

Pulled Apart By Horses MySpace

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