Subhumans / The Unwanted / Kasper Hauser

The crowd inside the Royal Albert resembled a punk rock version of All in the Family, with multiple generations in attendance to see the reunited Subhumans (the one from Vancouver) deliver a fierce set. Openers Kasper Hauser ripped through a number of underground covers, including songs by the Testors and Radio Birdman, along with a handful of originals. Recently reactivated ’80s Winnipeg punk veterans the Unwanted played a set of metallic hardcore to a boisterous crowd as front-man Norman Simm rapidly paced the stage. From their opening chords, the Subhumans had the large audience cheering as the band blasted through songs that stretched from their landmark 1981 album, Incorrect Thoughts, to their recently released disc, New Dark Age Parade. Despite the sizable gap between recordings, the Subhumans showed remarkable skill at making their old and new songs fit together. Recent tunes such as "Celebrity” and "World at War” sounded just as incisive as the band did during its original incarnation. On stage, bassist Gerry Hannah and drummer Jon Card delivered strong and fast rhythms, while guitarist Mike Graham lunged back and forth, drawing out finely honed notes. Despite making a couple of cracks about the "old bodies” playing music, vocalist Brian Goble’s singing sounded in peak form while he bounced around and delivered the occasional scissor kick. The crowd responded with a high level of enthusiasm, as a number of people ventured up to dive off the stage, with one fan grabbing and swinging from an unsteady ceiling pipe before letting go and dropping into the crowd below. As the Subhumans wrapped up their impressive set, the crowd shouted along to songs such as "Slave to My Dick and set-closer "Fuck You,” which ended the night on an exuberant note.