Bolth, In The Face of War, Phoenix Bodies, Rager, You’re a Liar
The Underground at the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., $5, all-ages

Punk rock and politics have gone hand in hand since the dawn of time (well, 1977). The Clash decried Margaret Thatcher’s despotic tenure as prime minister, Billy Bragg was the minstrel for striking miners in England and Blink 182’s Tom DeLonge nervously stood beside John Kerry during a meet and greet in 2004.

OK, so maybe that last example was pretty bad, but suffice it to say punk and politics have had a long history together. Indiana’s foremost political punk band is, without a doubt, Bolth, a group that combines hardcore, punk, metal and ska with well-informed leftist politics.

J.S., the brain behind Bolth, has taken his politics beyond music and launched his own ’zine called Cons Cons. The name is short for “conscious consumers” and seeks to inform the ever-abused consumer on how human, animal and environmental rights issues play into the way they spend their money. “Some people have this tendency to zombie through life, throwing money around, and then complain about the state of the world,” J.S. says. “It’s ridiculous.”

After a successful first issue of Cons Cons, J.S. is releasing the second issue with a thunderous cacophony at an Underground show on Saturday night. His band Bolth is sharing the bill with other like-minded groups, musically and politically: Kokomo hardcore kings In The Face of War, grindcore band Phoenix Bodies and Chicago hardcore act Rager.

Local dance act You’re A Liar will round off the bill with their awesome take on the dance-punk genre. YAL, which features Bolth drummer James Lyter, craftily mixes the groovy sounds of P-Funk, Talking Heads and Primus with solid punk rock. Dance punk is nothing new, but these guys are re-defining the genre and giving the Rapture a run for their money.