LIVE REVIEW: Hussle Club

By Francesca Beltran

Three boys, two girls and a lot of black eyeliner. When I saw this quintet of musician stake over the stage of Public Assembly I was totally ready for the punk notes that immediately came out of their various instruments. What I was not expecting was the brilliant blend of post-punk and dance that made them sound familiar, fresh and indefinable (all at the same time), and made my jaw drop a little.

Hussle Club is the project resulting from the frontman and lead songwriter, Prince Terrence’s electro-rock vision. The songs, from which the powerful drums and unexpected synth sounds were the most notable, were accompanied by Terrence’s nonstop energetic dance moves and very powerful voice.

The song ‘Children Of The Underground’, was by far my favorite. A brilliant amalgamation of what I thought was Marilyn Manson meets Depeche Mode with some hints of electro beats here and there. The deep, velvety voice of Prince Terrence, in turn reminded me much of Jay Gordon’s in the New Order’s cover of ‘Blue Monday’, all in all contributing to a collage of long-lasting musical loves of mine.

‘Quaranteenagers’ and ‘Uptown Downtown’ on the other hand, showed more clearly the pop influence and dance sounds that made it so hard for me to categorize the band in one single genre. Always keeping the punk undertone, the songs’ catchy beats helped me finally label them in my mind as “danceable punk-rock.”

As good as the music was, I must say the incredibly short set list (about 25 minutes) felt like a slap in the face. There you are, listening to good music, having a cold beer, moving your hips from one side to the other when, all of a sudden, it’s over. They’re packing their things and gone. Can’t say I wasn’t a little bit disappointed.

It was also very discouraging to see such good talent on stage, witnessed by so few. Very few people gathered to appreciate what clearly is a very talented group of musicians. The small crowd however, did not prevent Hussle Club to give an incredibly energetic performance and an impeccable delivery of every song.

 

“This is the last song, it’s called ‘Fuck Shit Up’… and that’s what we do,” were Prince Terrence’s last words to the audience. The song, which also says “children of the underground” (ok, we got the message), reminded me much of Manson’s ‘Beautiful People’ with an upbeat twist and a freshness that inevitably put a smile on my face.

For those who consider themselves “children of the underground” or simply like to hear some good punk rock just for the heck of it, Hussle Club is a must-listen.