MxPx – Between This World And The Next (Livestream Review)

MxPx
Between This World And The Next Livestream
January 16, 2021 (Australian time) along with a few previous dates over October, November and December.

Rather than waiting around for the rona to blow over, the good folks from MxPx have been keeping themselves busy since the pandemic hit. Mike Herrera initially kept fans occupied throughout mid-2020 with Life In Quarantine, a series of free acoustic streams on Facebook, along with releasing a few new MxPx tracks ('Worries' being my number one song for 2020) and of course Mike’s other duties as part of the Goldfinger camp.

Since October, Mike has been joined by the rest of the band for a series of full livestreamed sets, aptly titled Between This World And The Next. Each stream has been a completely different setlist, with the band taking the opportunity to break out some fan favourites from the extensive back catalogue that haven’t been played for a while.

What makes these streams so unique and a great way to relax on a Saturday arvo (our time, Friday night in the US) is that it’s totally live (seems obvious, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed some bands doing a sneaky pre-record) and hence each stream manages to capture that ‘actual live show’ feeling so well. There’s stage banter, there’s guitar feedback, the beer is flowing, and Mike does such a great job as host in making you feel like you’re in their room with them. And along with an active chat room, if you’re part of the MxPx Facebook community, everyone is making the most of the livestream, sharing their setups, choice of refreshments, and family mosh pits.

And the band is super-tight. Guitarists Tom Wisniewski and Chris Adkins have each song down perfectly, while behind the kit Yuri Ruley does a great job in holding the band together. Each setlist has been loaded with songs, providing a good 90 minutes of punk that, for us in Australia at least, provides the perfect soundtrack for kicking back on the couch with a beer on a Saturday afternoon. Beats that cricket rubbish by a mile.

With one more stream booked in for the end of January, and no doubt we might see a few more until COVID in America is dealt with, an afternoon with MxPx is a great way to spend a part of your weekend. Fire up a BBQ, invite some mates over (socially distanced, obviously) and rock out to some punk awesomeness with the whole family.

Setlist from last stream:

Friday Tonight
Well Adjusted
Far Away
Self Serving With A Purpose

Play It Loud
Sugar coated Poison Apple
The Way We Do
Doing Time

Worries
Let It Happen
Correct Me If I’m Wrong
Grey Skies Turn Blue

Tomorrow’s Another Day
Can’t Keep Waiting
One Way Window
One Step Closer To Life
Never Better Than Now

Buildings Tumble
Uptown Streets
Small Town Minds
First Class Mail
Waiting For The World To End

Don’t Walk Away
Chick Magnet
Delores
Southbound
Let’s Ride

Review by Simon Valentine (@SimonValentine1)