by Alex Williams
Daily Lobo
Rising stars of the Los Angeles punk scene Bang Sugar Bang returns to Albuquerque on Wednesday.
The band is touring with punk legends the Adicts in support of their album Thwak Thwak Go Crazy.
Cooper, the bassist and co-vocalist, wanted to emphasize that the band is distinct from its punk contemporaries.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"We call [our style] old-school punk rock, '77 style," Cooper said. "We have a lot of melody. I think we're more like the Clash or the Sex Pistols than other stuff around today."
She said they shy away from calling themselves pop punk.
"What I don't like about it is that you get grouped with bands like Blink-182 and Good Charlotte, and we don't sound anything like them," she said.
The band also prides itself on having an energetic live show.
"It's pretty crazy, lots of beer," she said. "Our live show is what people always say is our strongest strength. At the end there's always 40 people on stage."
The last time the band came to Albuquerque, members found out shortly before arriving that they were the victims of identity theft.
"Two members of the band had thousands stolen," Cooper said. "We felt really crappy and we wanted to end the tour to straighten everything out, but we played Albuquerque anyway."
It turned out to be a good decision.
"We had a really great show actually. Everyone responded really well to us," she said. "I'm surprised that we had such a good time. For that night, it made us forget the situation we were in."
In addition to touring and recording, the band runs its own label, War Room Records, and it created a weekly event at a club in L.A. called Kiss or Kill.
"We didn't like the scene that existed in L.A. when we came, so we made our own," Cooper said.
Kiss or Kill has also become an annual compilation record released by War Room Records.
Although their first two albums, Greatest Hits, and Thwak Thwak Go Crazy are not as politically driven as some other punk albums, Cooper said the album in the works will be.
The album coming out is about the politics of L.A. and the nation, she said.
"Our new material has a lot of political content because our current political climate is impossible not to write about. It is really depressing," she said. "People see us at our live show, and it is really about just having fun, but we also try to be conscious politically."
Kiss or Kill supports charities for troops in Iraq as well as Hurricane Katrina victims, Cooper said.
She chalks the band's success thus far to their originality.
"We have a lot of things that are unique," she said. "I hope that other bands will be inspired to make their rock 'n' roll experience their own thing."
Cooper is concerned with the movement to end all-ages shows at alcohol-serving venues in Albuquerque and elsewhere.
"I think it is really sad, and L.A. is in a similar situation right now," she said. "Rock 'n' roll can be a good influence on kids."
