Standards

Not long ago on the Swamp I had posted stuff by a cool US band, Negative Standards: four guys proudly coming from Oakland, California, a sickly fertile area for some amongst the coolest underground heavy tunes.
They had sent in their debut EP/ tape, called I-V (2010), which partly contains tracks from their early demo submitted to the Swamp in 2009. The result of the work done on the old stuff plus the charge by the new stuff is outstanding. And the band has been rewarded by a great success during the intensive touring activity of these two years.

As I had written on the Swamp, these guys, play some furious and fast d-beat crust hardcore which shares similarities with many great bands of the genre such as D.R.I., the Swedish kanga punk scene etc. However the crusty hardcore fury is vigorously blended with sludge and doom. The resulting sounds possess a great variety in rhythms and a further increase in the heaviness and “density” of the sound through distortion and fuzz of both guitar and plodding bass.
The drumming is another strong point of the band, as the drummer can easily fit any change in rhythm. And there are many of them and quite extreme …

Today Will, of Negative Standards, contacted me with some dates of the new tour.
So for those who are at the right latitudes, i.e. Northwest USA/Canada, here are dates and places where you can get your neck duly massaged:

June 29 - Arcata, CA @ The Big Tree, 1830 Stromberg Ave w/ Macula. 4pm
matinee show, $3.

June 30 - Portland @ Red and Black Cafe w/ Adelitas. 7pm.

July 1 - Seattle @ Fusion Cafe, 4th and Marion w/ Ordstro, Stares,
Mercy Ties, Numb. 7:30pm, $5.

July 2 - Squamish, BC @ Fastcore Fest w/ Ordstro, Stares, Rape
Revenge, Napalm Raid, Osk, Skuff, Obacha, Shooting Spree, Bracky Gen.
6pm, $10.

July 3 - Vancouver, BC @ Chateau Noir (Victoria and Lakewood) w/
Ordstro, Stares, Unlearn, AHNA, Rape Revenge, Napalm Raid. 3pm early
show, $5.

July 4 - Tacoma, WA @ The 5th Dimension, 3805 East B Street w/ Marrow.

July 5 - Olympia, WA @ Crossroads, 1504 Levonworth Ave. NE w/ Negative
Press, Negative Approach.

July 6 - Redding, CA @ Sue's Java w/ Ordstro, Stares, StressXRelief.

In case you missed the EP on the defunct Swamp, you can get it below, by using the old Swamp link, authorized by the band.
The EP, which includes five tracks and is simply and smartly named I-V, is out as tape-only and as a split release between two underground labels and Gay Scientist Recordings and Five-Ten Tapes (related to label Act of Sedition).
For those who like tapes, the EP tape is sold in a cool package, as “kvltgasm-inducing hand-numbered cassettes”.

Here is also a juicy video of a very recent performance (last saturday) when Negative Standards were making a lot of noise together with Martyrdod and No Statik.




Check the band and its movements here

Get this finest solid tape package here or here

Negative Standards – I-V (2010)