They’re the screechers, guaranteed to start up a riot. Their music incarnates the rebel spirit, turning against everything sunny California has to offer (goodbye Katy Perry dreamscape!) and chewing out a youth fuelled American punk rock, distinct from any specific category or genre.
The Bronx rose as leaders of the punk revival in the early 2000’s, formed in LA, with their debut self-titled album making waves among the young with their raw energy and disparate spirit piercing through a music industry celebrating all things pop and R&B.
And it’s only natural to have a flashback when it’s the 10th anniversary of The Bronx, with six albums under their belt. The group is heading back down under next month for the Groovin The Moo festival.
Rock is not dead according to these guys. They had attitude and still do. Some call them our generation’s answer to Black Flag (American punk band of the late 70s/80s). To try and recreate The Bronx, we could combine the intense drumming of Foo Fighters, shredding riffs of Queens of the Stone Age and raw aggressive vocals seen in the likes of Limp Bizkit or Korn.
What has kept The Bronx alive over the past decade is not only the energy they put into their music but also into their lyrics. In 2008 the group posted “Knifeman” onto their MySpace (yes – that old thing) with a message against the technology takeover: “I wanna be original/I wanna be surrounded by art/But everything is digital, the formulas are falling apart.”
Who are The Bronx? Matt Caughthran (vocals), Joby J.Ford (guitar), Ken Horne (guitar), Brad Magers (bass) and Jorma Vik (drums).
In Led Zeppelin style, the group has not strayed from their eponymous debut, naming each following album The Bronx I (2003), II (2006), III (2008) and most recently, IV (2013). From 2009 to 2011, the group strayed from their definitive punk sound to Mariachi - Mexican folk - which fans received surprisingly well.
‘Cell Mates’, the opening track of Mariachi El Bronx I, has a mellow tone written over its Latin sounds.
Another diversion sees the group performing pop legend Prince’s ‘I Will Die 4 U’ in groovy Mariachi style for the triple j Like A Version in 2009.
At times, the screaming can be unintelligible but the fire and guts comes through in ripping shreds. One of the group’s outstanding singles “Young Bloods” secured their position as feisty rebels. “Young Blood, destroy their empire!”
To still be standing after ten years is no small feat in the music world. The Bronx shook up their genre and shake up the live shows as well.
Words by Antigone Anagnostellis
