Hellcat Records as many people may know it, was a branch that eventually broke off what is now the Brett Gurewitz owned Epitaph Records. It was out to become one of the definite punk and hardcore label to many upcoming bands, and many older ones that turned to the bit more less-known label for a place to hurl their up-and-coming records at. The band that runs the whole show behind the label is none other than Rancid, and front-man Tim Armstrong shares many acquaintances and special places in many other bands as well as the rest of his band. Among this label are also the Rancid spin-offs; Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, and the Transplants. They usually tour in groups with each other among other big names belonging to Hellcat.
The story behind the title “Give ‘Em The Boot” lies in the lyrics to one of Rancid’s most famous singles. Roots Radicals brought to us this line right before the outstanding chorus made it’s way across your speakers, and apparently, became a huge saying among their fellow bands. In 1997, Hellcat records released a compilation called just this. “Give ‘Em The Boot” styled a great, attractive cover and featured the bands of the label sharing their hits, covers, and sometimes unreleased tracks. This was a success. The compilation continued along the years with Give ‘Em The Boot; II, III, and IV in November 2004. As it was obvious that these compilations were run by none other than Lars and Tim, the year 2005 brought upon Hellcat fans something with more ‘variety’ than another compilation to follow the “Give ‘Em The Boot” series.
On August 2nd, 2005, Hellcat Records released “Give ‘Em The Boot: A Film By Tim Armstrong.” This was a DVD, and if for whoever hasn’t guessed yet, it wraps up all the good times from the 4 members in the series, along with a couple artists outside of Hellcat, to deliver us the maybe not final view at the series, but a great look of how crazy, and amazing modern, classic, and overall, the fury of Punk can get. The DVD features live and acoustic performances by many bands belonging the label, along with mini-documentaries on artists. Although this one might not end it all, it will without a doubt make it much better.
Give ‘Em The Boot: A Film By Tim Armstrong
Starring
Rancid
Dropkick Murphys
F-Minus
Horrorpops
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards
Nekromantix
The Nerve Agents
Roger Miret and the Disasters
The Slackers
Tiger Army
Transplants
U.S Bombs
Among other guest appearances…
First off, know that this is not your average documentary/concert. This show is run by Armstrong and Hellcat in particular. And this causes about 85% of this DVD to be entirely in black and white. Which is actually a great feature, because it will seem clear that every stage is dark, clammy and not a very “colorful” place anyway. The moment you press ‘Play Movie’, you’ll se Tim standing there speechless with none other than punk legend Joe Strummer. Strummer will do the talking while a younger Tim Armstrong smiles for the camera and shakes hands with Joe. “We’re here in New York city with Hellcat Records, and I’m saying Hellcat over the city! Hellcat over the world!” These are the words from Strummer’s mouth as he introduces one of the few punk DVD’s that cease to entertain from beginning to end.
From there on, the first track is Rancid with “Ruby Soho”, and the credits get rolling as the band makes a great entrance. This DVD includes performances shot from all over Europe, U.S and some of Asia. So this is not the DVD to own if you thought you’d be seeing all the bands playing on the same stage at the same show, but then again, that’s not much a reason anyways. From here on, we’ll see performances by Tiger Army, until we come to a very special performance. It’s Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros performing the Clash classic, “Rudie Cant Fail.” It has to be one of the best performances in the package, and it’s great to see that Strummer hasn’t lost a bit of his talent after over a decade. Another track with Joe comes up later, but after this one, makes way for an acoustic version of Rancid’s “Roots Radicals”, the one that started it all. While Lars and Tim play, strips of film involving the boys of Rancid on their travels, and such, all in color.
Then continues along with another great track on the package. Rancid gets on stage with “Maxwell Murder.” What makes this one special is the bass-solo by legend Matt Freeman. Why? If eveyones heard it about a million times? Why? Because it’s about 7 times longer, and with the crowd mixed in and the background work, it builds up to a great performance. Continues along with others until another great stop in Rancid’s green room, as they play along with Iggy Pop. Another acoustic, and a nice change of pace. Along with more change, it brings it upon The Slackers, a ska band that sounds a bit more like jazz on their one track. Another stand-out, and one of the bands that doesn’t share their fame on Hellcat, but really should.
Eventually brings us along to another highlight. Lars and the Bastards play “Skunx”, possibly their biggest hit in their history. A nice halting intermission in the song brings Lars on telling a story and a few groupies jumping on-stage. Another nice feature here is the small strip of film in memory of Joe Strummer, and shows the painting of a mural in his memory. A very nice way to bring in the last bit of the DVD, and as it is almost over, the last bit on here doesn’t disappoint. It’s Radio by Rancid with the help from Davey Havok of AFI. Rowdy, fast and very, very sweaty. And all well-done in black and white.
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Pros
+Great damn footage
+Great lineup of bands
Cons
-Too short :upset:
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Overall. This is the word that’s supposed to define the total greatness and work of the piece that’s being reviewed. But in my part, its my recommendation of getting this DVD if you are a fan of any of these bands or just want more. The DVD has great footage at every single show, and although the styles of music may vary, the whole thing keeps the energy going at a reasonable pace. This is nothing short of an actual “film” than concert footage. And the props here go to Tim Armstrong for organizing everything that always has had a part in the series. I hope this review wasn’t very biased or was very confusing of a format, but I had to change some things around, concerning I am a huge fan of the label and virtually every band on the lineup. Why get Give ‘Em The Boot? Crazy solos, wild haircuts, up-right basses, and the perfect amount of noise for what you would want from such artists.
Like Tim always says…
See Ya In The Pit….
4.5/5
!
