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All Music Guide:
Innovative, controversial, and frighteningly loud, the Southern California rock band the Locust has been called the future of hardcore punk by more than a few people. Critics and underground hardcore fans alike have argued for and against the band, citing in their debates the destructive tendencies of the Locust's intensely loyal fan base, insane stage antics, seemingly nonsensical lyrics, and questionable taste in merchandise. Through it all, the Locust has maintained a confident distance, preferring to discuss the "self-political" subject matter of their lyrics and lifestyle, and more importantly, their love of playing music. Formed in San Diego in 1995, with a nascent lineup consisting of former members of influential hardcore bands Struggle and Swing Kids, the Locust built an early reputation on name recognition and duration (their songs rarely exceeded 60 seconds) alone. When their first few singles were actually released, however, feverish hardcore fans responded by buying out the entire first pressings ridiculously fast; the group had proven itself worthy of the attention, and began selling out shows in and around Southern California. During those first few years, the personnel of the band remained in constant flux. With the only certainty being a revolving cast, the Locust set out on tours of the U.S. and Europe before the lineup was solidified, and work on their debut full-length LP began. When the album was finished, the band had recorded 20 songs and crammed them into a claustrophobic 13 minutes. The initial pressing of The Locust (2,000 12" records) sold out in the first week of its release, and the May 1999 3" CD reissue was also very well received; the album sold more than 20,000 copies -- platinum status by independent label standards. Following up on their underground success, the Locust unexpectedly released a double LP of drum'n'bass remixes of their trademark song, "Well I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle," in the spring of 2000. Featuring mixes from Digital Hardcore mainstay Christoph de Babalon and San Francisco's I Am Spoonbender, the record demonstrated the Locust's willingness to toy with the public's perception of the band as a one-trick pony, and also served to bring their music to the attention of an entirely new audience. After the release of the 2001 EP Flight of the Wounded Locust, bandmember David Astor left the group. While adapting to their new, leaner formation as a quartet, the Locust -- guitarist/vocalist Bobby Bray, bassist/vocalist Justin Pearson, keyboardist/vocalist Joey Karam, and drummer Gabe Serbian -- kept up a masochistic tour schedule, making the rounds in Japan (filling the opening slot for Grand Royal buzz band At the Drive-In) and the U.S., and gigging at South by Southwest. They appeared for the first time on wax as a quartet with a split 7" on GSL that also featured like-minded noise children Melt Banana. The band then received a significant credibility boost when it signed a worldwide contract with Anti, the respected Epitaph affiliate that hosted such artists as Tom Waits, Merle Haggard, and Nick Cave. Plague Soundscapes, the Locust's debut for the label, dropped in June 2003. A string of split releases, singles, and side project participation (including Head Wound City and Some Girls) followed before the band's third full-length, New Erections, appeared in March 2007. In 2012 the band issued Molecular Genetics From the Gold Standard Labs, a compilation collecting the majority of their pre-Anti material, including the out of print tracks from their many various vinyl-only releases from their earlier days.
Wikipedia:
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, complexity, and new wave weirdness.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Style[edit]
Originally a powerviolence band with a strong tendency towards synth-based passages, they have more recently stripped down much of their past sound, but retained the heavy distortion, synthesizers, screamed vocals, and intense stage presence. On the band's unique sound and live presentations, singer/bassist Justin Pearson has said, "I wanted to change the way people perceive music, or maybe just destroy it in general." Their music is complex, dynamic and fast-paced, often featuring abrupt and inconsistent time-signature changes. These erratic elements are, according to guitarist Bobby Bray, "a reflection of perhaps how our brains have to function in order to be able to do anything in the Western societies we live in."
History[edit]
The Locust was formed in 1994 by Justin Pearson, Bobby Bray, Dylan Scharf, Dave Warshaw, and Dave Astor. After a number of personnel changes, they arrived at the current four-piece lineup in 2001.
Their music was featured in John Waters' film Cecil B. Demented.
The group has also solicited remixes from Bastard Noise, Christoph de Babalon, Kid606, and I Am Spoonbender.
The Locust will perform at ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror festival, on May 4, 2013, at Alexandra Palace in London.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Equipment[edit]
Karam plays an assortment of analog synthesizers, including various Moog models and a patch-panel modular synth. Bobby plays a Gibson SG, and Pearson plays a see-through body Dan Armstrong bass made by Ampeg. Gabe Serbian plays Ludwig drums, with Sabian Cymbals.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Theatrics[edit]
The Locust have a unique stage presence: costumed in skin-tight, full body nylon suits (which the band refer to as uniforms), they have at times come across to first-time viewers as frightening. The last 5 different suits were designed and made by Ben Warwas. Unlike most bands, which normally have the drums set up behind the other members, the four members of The Locust are usually all positioned in a line at the front of the stage. The group recommends that in order to get the full impact of the music, one should see them live.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Ideology[edit]
The Locust boycotts Clear Channel Communications and refuse to play in any Clear Channel-owned venues. This boycott affected a 2005 tour with Fantômas as well as another tour with Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They also have a policy of only playing all-ages shows.
The band's lyrics range from stream-of-consciousness poetry to satirical portrayals of mainstream ideas of sexuality to political commentary and critiques of religion.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Influences[edit]
The Locust take inspiration from powerviolence (Crossed Out, Dropdead), obscure experimental rock (Art Bears, Renaldo and the Loaf), and death metal.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
