As Seth Bogart, AKA Hunx, took to the stage clad in a skintight jumpsuit covered with punk band logos, looking like some high school kid’s binder come to life or like a punk rock NASCAR version of Freddie Mercury, I knew that this was a sign of a good show to come. Showmanship and a sense of fun are what Hunx And His Punx bring to the table and really, that sense of fun is something that more bands should strive to add to their shows.
“We’re not playing until at least ten of you take your shirts off,” announced Bogart, and while no one really complied, they played anyways, offering up a fast paced, high energy set with Bogart sharing the lead with Shannon Shaw, also of Shannon And The Clams fame. Partway in, Bogart stripped off his jumpsuit, though wasn’t able to get it all off. To make up for that, the band played “Don’t Call Me Fabulous” over again, though I’m not really sure that it sounded significantly different the second time over. Still, it’s a good song and it’s only about 30 seconds long, so why not play it twice?
While I am by no means a fan of the rock ‘n roll ritual known as the encore, by the time Bogart announced that they only had a couple more songs left, I was glad that such a thing did exist, since, even with the encore, their set seemed a tad too short. After playing their cover of The Beastie Boys’ “Egg Raid On Mojo,” Bogart asked if there were any requests. When someone shouted out a request for “Ratbag,” Bogart himself seemed a little surprised, but they went with it anyways. Truthfully, it wasn’t the greatest song to go out on, suggesting that maybe crowdsourcing your setlist isn’t always the best choice. Still, that’s a minor issue with a show that was, above all else, a lot of fun.