The Threats at the Bowery Electric

There was a Scottish punk band in the 1980s with the same name; that band is due for a comeback, as most out-of-work musicians from that decade are finding that reunions are lucrative. This new band called the Threats is a punk trio from New York. Guitarist Jack Ridley and bassist Matt Hitt both play in a more popular band, Drowners, except that they switch musical roles in that band. Drummer Paulo Dell’Olio fills out the local Threats. The band has no recordings or website, but is playing the rock club circuit rather heavily.

At the Bowery Electric tonight, the Threats at first sounded like many other power punk trios, long on angry vocals, speedy guitar riffs and bad attitude. Then I heard progressive shifts of time signatures in the midst of the songs. Then I heard guitar leads that sounded like surf rock. Ridley was all over the stage, even on the floor, and in the audience. Between songs, hard-pounding Dell'Olio huffed deeply to catch his breath. The Threats became not just another local punk band, but a very interesting punk band, worth catching again sometime soon.