Napalm Death

Auditorium Shores, Nov. 2

Taking the stage after tour mates Municipal Waste, Birmingham, England’s Napalm Death played polar opposite to its Black stage predecessors. While Waste remains boozing and bruising, Death marches as solemn and political as grindcore can get. Frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway offers an onstage stumble that resembles a spastic child let off one of those toddler leashes, though his bandmates were all business, with guitarist Mitch Harris’ face almost bleached of emotion. The heat at this early hour was difficult for the black-clad group, resulting in Greenway dousing himself with water, and drummer Danny Herrera bending over the side of the stage midset to vomit. Formed in 1981, the band boasts 30 years of material, and its performance at Fun Fun Fun featured new songs from this year’s Utilitarian, yet reached back as far as the title track from 1987 debut Scum. The ferocity of the group’s approach hasn’t diminished over three decades, though these days they’re more likely to write four-minute rather than four-second screeds. Friday’s set included both, as well as their beloved take on the Dead Kennedy’s “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.”

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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