Toasters, Hi-Hats, Agents

Middle East, Cambridge, MA

How about that: a 3-band ska show, and none of the bands actually have the letters "SK" in their names. Being an all-ages show, between sets the entire club was filled (almost to capacity) with cigarette smoke, but to be fair, those young smokers DID look older and cooler...

First on the bill was Providence, RI's The Agents (right) — possibly the best band to come out of the RI scene in a while. They play great third-wave ska with a similar flavor as the headlining Toasters' recipe: a definite 90's sound with roots in traditional 60's ska. The Agents are tight, good musicians (great drummer!), and write good, catchy songs. There's not one bad thing I can say about this band — definitely look into this band!

Boston's own Hi-Hats were up next, and something's happened since the last time I saw them (several years ago). Perhaps it was the new lineup (only the guitarists remained since I last saw them) with the addition of a backup singer, or perhaps is was the fact that they just play slower than The Agents. Whatever it was, the Hi-Hats didn't move me much. (The most exciting part of their set was when a fight broke out behind me.) Their blend of ska with soul, reggae and funk didn't hold me captive. The strange stage presence caused my friend to comment that he felt like he was in a scene from a bad 80's movie — don't ask me to explain what that means, but he was right. And although I didn't care for the few new songs they played, I did like the stuff from their album Ska Got Soul (as did most of the crowd).

The Toasters (left) have done more for ska in recent years than probably any other band (both through constant touring and Moon Records). They weren't in full force this night — they were without a trombonist, and the sax player was a new guy's first gig — but even an "incomplete" Toasters can bury practically everybody else; I've never seen another ska band outperform them. You can't beat the Toasters for a good live show, period — they can get ANYONE dancing. And they're kind enough to mix in a good amount of older material, too, not just playing stuff from the latest album (as bands are wont to do). Everyone left happy, sweaty, and tired...and reeking of smoke.

Uploaded July 1998