On Friday night, the Belasco Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles was packed wall-to-wall with fans ready to celebrate the career and mourn the last performance ever of LA-born supergroup OFF! Launched in 2009, the supergroup consists of Circle Jerks’ Keith Morris, Dimitri Coats, Mario Rubalcava, and Autry Fulbright II.
Kicking off the night was Brooklyn-based group Surfbort, bringing electrifying, unrestrained punk energy to the room. Right off the bat, singer Dani Miller proved why she is arguably one of the best frontwomen in the punk scene today — her command of the stage and crowd engagement was, simply put, a masterclass in instantly grabbing and maintaining audience attention. Her interactions with other band members (such as posing to flip off the crowd with guitarist Alex Kilgore), banter, and jumping off the stage kept everyone on their toes. The five-piece has the music to back up the energy, though — tracks such as “Lot Lizard 93” and “Hippie Vomit Inhaler” channel 80’s grunge, fused with modern punk production to create a sound that is wholly their own.
After Surfbort properly warmed up the crowd, punk legend and jokingly-self-proclaimed “Prince of Los Feliz” Keith Morris walked onto the stage, set down his tote bag, and began to place the setlist spanning 5 pages and held together with black gaffer’s tape. Despite the size of the venue, this small action proved that OFF! would stick to their DIY-roots until the very end.
Just a few moments later, the rest of the band took the stage to a fuzzy, anticipation-building intro before launching into their set. Throughout the next 90 minutes, the band performed a career-encompassing set, spanning a lengthy 26 songs. Bouncing between classics like “Black Thoughts” and newer tracks such as “Kill To Be Heard,” the set was a non-stop celebration of OFF!’s short-yet-impressive legacy. The show concluded with the raucous “Poison City” from the group’s earlier work, evoking the largest circle pit of the night. After a few moments of deafening cheers from the crowd, Morris grabbed the tote bag he had so gently placed before the set, walked down the stairs from the stage, and began chatting with countless fans on the barricade. I had never experienced a show of this caliber feel so casual and personal, and it was truly a special night to be a part of.
One of the most impressive aspects about the performance was how straightforward and raw it was. There were no backdrops, over-the-top lighting techniques, or forced crowdwork. It was simply four musicians completely captivating and unifying the crowd through the bittersweet nature of the group’s final show. With Morris’s vocal ferocity, Coats’ and Fulbright’s energy, and Rubalcava’s sheer talent, nothing else really was needed. The set was simply hardcore punk at its very best.
Although the band’s time playing live has come to an end, fans can still experience new content from the band in the form of their new movie, named ‘Free LSD‘ after the group’s 2022 album. Fans residing in California can catch advance Q+A screenings of the comedic sci-fi film with the band and surprise guests — a full list of showings can be found HERE.
OFF! AND SURFBORT – JULY 26, 2024 – THE BELASCO (LOS ANGELES, CA)
