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The wall of sound produced by the four men on stage is astounding. A driving wall of rich guitar chords fattened up with distortion is buoyed by articulate, aggressive bass playing and powered by solid, classic rock and roll drumming. Above the fray, like a seagull flying above a storm, plaintive, passionate, aggressive vocals bring observations about love, relationships, and God to the eclectically mixed crowd that has gathered on this Thursday night (scant hours before Good Friday) at a club in New York’s Bowery district. The audience spans a wide range of ages and types, but most of them are singing right along to these songs which cover a span of some 14 years, including songs from a brand-new release which follows a ten year gap in the band’s recording history. 

Before the show, front-man/lead singer/guitarist and main songwriter, John Davis is amiable, warm, open and non-threatening – hardly a punk/rock/pop icon if you were casting for the role. Onstage is another story: Davis plants himself with a wide stance and leans into the songs, fiercely (but with precision) attacking his guitar, firing off tasty solos between chords and pushing his vocals to the limit, head turned slightly sideways to the mike, eyes alternately squeezed shut or opened as wide as can be, a dynamic singing engine from the neck up. Between vocal lines Davis will spin towards the drummer or rush up to his amp, as if to drink in the rock and roll energy it gives off.

Bass player Tom Pappas is the counterpoint to Davis’ passionate but rock-solid center. Tall and lanky, with a Sideshow Bob mop of hair, Pappas alternately prowls the stage, leaping, high-kicking a leg out over the heads of the up-front fans, head-banging and providing a manic persona to the band’s stage presence. Never missing a beat, the bass playing is precise and melodic – a strong underpinning to these songs that are a skillful combination of power pop and punk. Obviously, Pappas finds it hard to resist an opportunity to get on-mike and get off a few improvised one-liners in tones well-suited to cartoon voice-over work. 

Perhaps in a lower degree of the limelight but doing the yeoman’s work of holding down the rhythm section are guitarist/co-founder Brandon Fisher and drummer Don Coffey, Jr. Both men are constantly busy creating a structure for that wall of sound to exist in. Fisher’s guitar fills in all of the gaps that other bands fill with keyboards, synths and the like, while Coffey Jr. provides a rock-steady foundation as well as the occasional no-wiggle-room punk style that several songs (“Slow to Speak”) call for.

In many ways Superdrag is a bridge between pop and punk in the same way that King’s X is a bridge between pop and metal. Interestingly, both bands create a solid wall of sound using only the standard bass, drums, guitar and vocals, both bands have a distinct Beatle-influence and both bands have a spiritual connection to the Christian community (although this is new to Superdrag and perhaps it’s becoming less true of King’s X). Superdrag displays a distinctly punkish energy and attack but create songs with strong melodies and aural clues that point to particular periods of Beatles music (‘especially the period between “Paperback Writer” and “And Your Bird Can Sing,”’ according to Davis, before the show).

The pace of the show is fairly non-stop, with occasional pauses to get the instruments, which take a beating, back in shape: “we like to be in tune,” says Davis, tweaking his strings, “as often as possible.” After more than 20 songs and 90-plus minutes on stage, the newly-reformed Superdrag exited the stage leaving a New York City audience worn-out by the lateness of the hour but energized by the music – happy and hoping to be able to make it through to Good Friday. Superdrag, meanwhile, showing no rust at all after being dormant for a decade, gets ready to go across the bridge to perform another hard-hitting show the next night in Brooklyn, apparently having had a resurrection of their own.

Bert Saraco
Text and photographs © Bert Saraco / Express Image