Last week, vocalist for Toronto hardcore band Fucked Up Damian Abraham admitted to Spinner that his days as a regularly touring member of the band could be nearing an end, or at least a rest. Due to the rigors of the road and his toddler son, Abraham (a.k.a. Pink Eyes) concedes that he is tired, and has considered allowing the band to go on without him.
“I can’t tour anymore,” Abraham says. “I don’t want to take that away from them, so I would love to find a way to basically make it into a constantly evolving thing where sometimes Fucked Up can go on tour and other times, it’s another band involved with us.”
Despite these sane and rational words, the music media has had a feeding frenzy, calling this the end of Fucked Up as we know it. Pitchfork appropriately stated that “The Future of Fucked Up Is Uncertain,” but other publications from NME to Punk News have gone decidedly further, announcing a hiatus or a straight up Fucked Up break up. Luckily, Abraham tweeted this in response:
It goes without saying that Abraham would be a tremendous loss to one of today’s most exciting bands. The hypnotic combination of the twisting triple-ax attack with his grizzled, yet poetic shouting makes some of the most affecting punk rock in years, if not ever. Known for wild stage antics that include stage diving (he’s got to be pushing 300 lbs) and self-induced forehead wounds, it makes sense that he’s getting worn out. And riding high after their most popular and commercially successful record this year, a possible break up is a huge story. But let’s give the guy some space, for christ’s sake. He spoke (too) openly about his feelings about Fucked Up going forward and how things may go, and all of a sudden the band is broken up without their consent. If anything, it’s more proof of mob mentality and the detrimental effects it has on the blogosphere. We would be very upset if Fucked Up broke up, but nothing in the original article invited that the conclusion has already came and passed.
This year’s David Comes To Life is a triumph for us all. 18 songs in an hour and 18 minutes, surrounding a story of love, loss, redemption and crazed narrators, David Comes To Life is a culmination of all the work they have released in the last 10 years. A highly melodic and completely ambitious work, David Comes To Life will certainly be on many album of the year lists. Join Fucked Up and Titus Andronicus as they play David Comes To Life in its entirety at Le Poisson Rouge (sold out) and Warsaw (tickets available), 11/14 and 15 respectively. Below are three equally as stunning music videos from David Comes To Life.
Pingback: Living for Live: Six Shows In Four Weeks « Frontier Psychiatrist