Bad Cop Bad Cop Takes Over Metro Gallery in Baltimore
It wasn’t the National Guard or the U.S. Marines who took over part of Central Baltimore – much to the dismay of our nation’s head law enforcement officer (just ask him, he’ll tell you) but rather those bad gals from Bad Cop/Bad Cop, who blew into town and blew away the audience at Metro Gallery on Charles Street with another badass performance.
Bad Cop/Bad Cop powered through about 90 minutes of punk rock tunes from their current album “Lighten Up” back through 2015’s “Not Sorry,” their debut album on Fat Mike’s (NOFX) Fat Wreck Records. They kicked off the show with “All Together Now” from the new album, a song about working and coming together, which, though not specifically referenced, is especially important in this most unique period in our nation’s history, when we have a chief executive actively working to tear the nation apart.
“Strugglinh” was in the #2 spot, a song that takes a hard look at one’s struggle with mental health and depression. And yes, the title is correct, as it incorporates bassist Linh Le’s name to personalise how each of us can struggle with these issues. While things might look great and fine on the outside, there could be internal personal struggles hidden from public view, and working to become healthy becomes of paramount importance. Linh is a dynamo on stage; her facial expressions, her stances with her bass and her splits are always fun to watch.
Midway through the set, she leads us through “Pursuit of Liberty” from 2020’s “The Ride” album.
“Can this be America? The home of the free?
When, for the first time, I feel like a refugee.
When we sought asylum, we were welcomed.
These days it’s perceived as a sin”
This is not mere songwriting. This is Le’s reality as she and two older sisters, along with their parents, escaped from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon, arriving in the United States on a crowded boat and resettling in their new country with the help of family who had come before. This is a powerful look at views on immigration then and now.
Though the band works as a cohesive unit, it is led by Stacey Dee, who announced during the third song of the evening, “Breastless” that she was now breast cancer free for 6 years. Her distinctive growl takes us through what was in her mind upon learning of her original diagnosis and her strength in dealing with the process of fighting through her treatment and coming out stronger on the other side. “Straight Out of Detox,” another song off of the new album, confronts Dee’s battle with substance abuse, how it affected relationships and coming out better on the other side of that battle.
Clearly, BCBC is not a band to shy away from modern social and political issues. As women’s rights get trampled on by the current administration and Supreme Court, the band tackled the issue head-on with “Safe and Legal”
End the stigma in this choice.
It’s my story and my voice.
No force into submission.
As we fight for legislation
Guitarist Alex Windsor joined the band a few years back, and flares her red mane about whilst she does backbends with her guitar that would cause this author a month’s stay in physical therapy. And Myra Gallarza has been pounding the skins as the longtime drummer for the band since its inception. When these four tour, it’s clear they are there to rock out, and also clear how much they enjoy what they are doing up on that stage. Their interactions are joyful, exuberant and simply fun.
Other songs played from the new album were “I4NI” and “Las Ventanas,” while earlier tunes included “Simple Girl,” ”Womanarchist,” ”Broken,” and “I’m Done.” The show closed with the powerful “Nightmare.”
One last note – opening for BCBC was their good friend and sometime collaborator Black Guy Fawkes, originally from Baltimore, who recently released his new album “The Misery Suite.” He played a strong solo set, with an assist from BCBC’s Linh Le on “Fear of Faith.” Check him out while you’re at it.
Photos (c) David Fang
