Jay Frost reviews Bam Margera

Monday, April 8^th: Fuckface Unstoppable at Bogies

By Jay Frost

I am currently eating a great deal of words; perhaps the biggest upset victory of Upstate Black ‘N’ Blue’s busy winter/spring concert series, Fuckface Unstoppable played a stellar set this past Monday. Consisting of former members of CKY and fronted by Bam Margera, a man that needs no introduction, the band far surpassed all of my low expectations. In light of Margera’s  film and television career (his tenure with the Jackass and CKY crews) and the reputation he has built for himself as a practical jokester and party animal, I didn’t think that I’d be able to take F.U. seriously. The fact that CKY members Jesse Margera and Matty J made up the rhythm section of the band gave me some hope, but all in all I anticipated an evening marked by immaturity and superstar pomposity.

My fears were assuaged when Bam belted out the first line of Turbonegro’s “All My Friends are Dead”. Wow. Did that bark really come from Bam? There was no denying that Margera had developed a distinctly hardcore-influenced vocal style similar to old-school acts like Killing Time. It didn’t feel forced or unauthentic, but rather sincere and downright powerful. His stage presence was impeccable as well: between shaking hands with the sweaty pile center-stage and offering the mic to those who cared to sing along, he didn’t miss a single beat or stumble over a single lyric. He was Fuckface Unstoppable. At times his banter straddled the line between toilet humor and sexual lewdness, but this is nothing new to punk rock – or rock and roll in general – and with so many acts using their art as a vehicle to deliver their ideals to the masses, it’s refreshing to see that some still do it for the fun of it. 

Musically, the band alternated between heavy punk rock and Clutch-inspired groove metal; occasionally, elements of electronic music (“Bend My Dick”) as well as hip-hop were thrown into the mix. Midway through there set, Bam had to take a potty break and passed the mic to one of his entourage, who graced us with a free-style rap, the band providing a metallic back-beat. Though merely an interlude, it smacked of Mob Deep and Sick of it All’s rendition of “Survival of the Fittest”. If Fuckface Unstoppable can do something like this on a whim, it would be interesting to see something like this developed in the studio – or even recorded candidly – for later release.

Aside from the afore-mentioned cover, Fuckface Unstoppable’s repertoire included a superb rendition of Clutch’s “Whiskey and Rye”, “Bend my Dick” - their original and hilarious take on dubstep that describes the act of fornicating with one’s self, as well as a slew of original material that  fell either into the heavy punk or groove metal categories. For me and many others, tonight was a lesson in humility: though a man may build his career on being a “jackass”, it shouldn’t define everything he does. Silly name and antics notwithstanding, Fuckface Unstoppable is one hell of a band, and I’d gladly see them again.