Horrible Idea Play At the Catacombs

Horrible Idea, formed in Atlanta, GA in 2005, is a "post-brand-cereal-punk with a metal and ska twist" band. Rolls right off the tongue. They played this past Sunday at the Catacombs with three out-of-town bands. They were the third band to go on that night.

The first thing I noticed was their use of pedal boards. I immediately started scoping their gear, hovering like a vulture. I felt like someone thought I was gonna steal their stuff. But if you're reading this, Horrible Idea, don't worry, I was merely admiring.

However, pedal boards don't mean you're automatically going to be good. Songwriting and chops are vastly more important. And these guys sure did deliver on that. Their mix of punk, ska, and metal works similar to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones: some songs are ska, some are punk, some are metal, and some combine all three. My two favorites, the Landed Gentry and Obviously, were played back-to-back, sounding like one big epic.

In-between song banter was prevalent from the band members, even from those who didn't have mics. The drummer and singer were both miked and provided commentary, while the bassist, not miked, just yelled whatever witty  comment was on his mind. Funny guy.

Horrible Idea played a mix of ska, punk, and metal and made excellent use of pedals. They have five albums out, two of which, Confirmation Bias and Landed Gentry, were released in January of this year as sister albums. You can listen to them here. They are also available on Spotify.

Go listen to Horrible Idea RIGHT NOW and remember, do it your fucking self!!!