Pissed Jeans roared into Seattle on March 1 to play a frenetic set celebrating their new album, Half Divorced, released the same day as the show, on hometown label Sub Pop. The sold-out crowd began gathering early in anticipation of what promised to be a high-energy affair. Many in the crowd were telling stories of previous Pissed Jeans shows they had witnessed with obvious excitement. Two bands from the region’s thriving punk scene, Lysol, and the evening’s opener, Electric Chair, rounded out the bill.

Resembling a mutated form of the Blue Man Group spewed forth from an acid trip, Olympia, Washington’s Electric Chair were the perfect opener. With an early start time, the spot could have been challenging for many bands, with the room only one-fourth full and folks still more interested in mingling than music. Plunging themselves into the audience from the start, doing handstands, and hurling themselves across the stage, this four-piece rose to the challenge. Their brand of freakish metallic punk pulled the crowd inside and got everyone engaged in the show (if anything, just to make sure you weren’t hit by the traffic cone that was hurled around during the set). Continuing the riotous joy was the incredible Seattle-based band Lysol. Founded in 2015, Lysol is as captivating as they are chaotic. The members managed to work the crowd into a frenzy with their infectious brand of garage punk. By the time they were done, everyone in attendance was primed and ready for the night’s headliner.

This year marks the 20th year of existence for Pissed Jeans, the Pennsylvania-based post-hardcore/noise-rock band. While many bands might mellow with age, we may witness something different happening here. The band ripped through 14 songs, half from their superb back catalog and the other half from the new album. Opening with the fast-paced ‘Cling to a Poison Dream,’ Matt Korvette and company let everyone in attendance know they weren’t slowing down with their new material. All of the new songs this evening showed that the band may have released their fastest and most aggressive album yet.

One of the strengths of the live show was how locked in the members were. The rhythm section, consisting of bassist Randy Huth and drummer Tim Wynarczuk (who went around the venue giving almost everyone in attendance a high five before their set), laid down a rock-solid foundation the entire evening. This allowed guitarist Bradley Fry to provide maximum riffage and excellent lead lines/feedback splurges while increasingly throwing himself around the stage as the set progressed. Korvette may have lost his hair (a point he mentioned several times—All hail the bald!), but he hasn’t lost a step as a lyricist and live performer. His caustic wit was in top form this evening, and the new material saw him speak to the insanity that is life and adulthood in the 21st century.

As the closing notes of ‘False Jesii Part 2’ filled the venue, a crowd full of smiles and sweat erupted into applause. Pissed Jeans hadn’t played in Seattle since their incredible 2018 show celebrating Sub Pop’s 30th anniversary. The expectations for this evening were incredibly high for the much-loved band, and they did not disappoint at all. If you can catch them live in 2024, don’t miss the chance!

PISSED JEANS SETLIST:

Cling to a Poison Dream
She Is Science Fiction
Sixty-Two Thousand Dollars in Debt
Half Idiot
Helicopter Parent
Seatbelt Alarm Silencer
(Won’t Tell You) My Sign
Killing All the Wrong People
Anti-Sapio
Cafeteria Food
Ignorecam
Romanticize Me
Moving On
False Jesii Part 2

 

Pissed Jeans

Lysol

Electric Chair