Don’t Knock The Worst

The Worst is a pre-boiled German sausage at Midway Cafe on Friday, 14 July 2023.

Psych Ward Disco and Tysk Tysk Task bring the noise in the opening slots.

Question: Do psych wards have discos?

No, not really. If a ‘psych ward’ is just the wing or corridor of a medical facility that attends to patients with aggravated and intense mental health issues, there’s no obvious reason to include a disco dancing floor in the blueprint.

On the other hand, if you’re talking about one of those bigger, grander, more long term mental health facilities with a few extra amenities, then maybe? You know the places… Facilities like the ones in movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Girl, Interrupted, or the second season of American Horror Story.

Long term residential mental health facilities need to have a few bells and whistles in order to keep the patients occupied. Why not a dancefloor? Although you might not want to find a suitable dance partner at a notorious facility like our local Bridgewater State Hospital (exposed in the classic 1967 documentary Titicut Follies), the higher end private facilities surely have more to offer.

If you can afford it. Which most people can’t.

Psych Ward Disco

Laconia’s Psych Ward Disco opened with a set of punk rock. The trio said it was their second gig ever – sounded good! A mix of originals and covers, like Nirvana’s “Breed.” Extra points for the ‘Hail Satan’ t-shirt.

Tysk Tysk Task

No rest for the weary. But maybe Lowell’s Tysk Tysk Task isn’t weary? Their show calendar has eight days in each week.

If it’s not a venue like Midway Cafe, then it’s the brewery circuit. If it’s not the brewery circuit, it’s a houseparty (DM for address!). If it’s not a houseparty, it’s a festival. And if it’s not a festival, then it’s the Rock n Roll Rumble.

With so much performing, when do you ever find the time to write? It must be that eighth day of the week because Tysk Tysk Task played at least one or two new songs on Friday night. Shout out to Trazodone.

The Worst

Portland’s (that’s Maine!) The Worst aren’t the wurst but they could take the band aesthetic in that direction.

Dress in lederhosen and assume sausage-themed rock n roll monikers like the Ramones. Curry Wurst. Knock Wurst. Whoever is the biggest badass (probably the guitarist) can be Blut Wurst.

The three-piece set up with the classic guitar, bass, drums ensemble, and wringed some gnarly power grunge soundscapes out of it. Like the best power trios, each musician impressed in their respective spheres.

The drummer twirled his sticks as much as he connected with the skins, and still never missed a beat. The bassist had a meaty attack that made full use of the long neck, walking rhythms through the songs like endlessly spiraling staircases. The guitarist and frontwoman had a mean howl and knew just where to land the distorted guitar progressions atop the rhythm section.

By the way, googling ‘the worst band’ gets you exactly the sort of unhelpful hits that you might expect. Maybe that’s why The Worst spells their name ‘theWorst’ sometimes?