No Sleep 'Til ... Pomona!
Filmed in Pomona, California last year on their tour for the album 'The Definitive Act', this DVD catches Tsunami Bomb playing to a sold out crowd alongside a few extras thrown in for good measure.
Since their first releases back in 1999, Tsunami Bomb haven't exactly been prolific recorders, their entire recorded output consists of something like 35 songs. Henceforth 50% of their back catalogue gets aired at this gig, so if you dig Tsunami Bomb there's something on here for you! The production on this is pretty good, nicely shot concert footage with plenty of angles and a good mix of band and crowd shots.
If you're not familiar with Tsunami Bomb, then you can expect songs played in a similar vein to Dag Nasty / Bad Religion circa 1989 but with female vocals. It's fast but not played at breakneck speed, and some of the songs are very good indeed; sure they are basic melodic punk in most cases, but it's a formula that works. The problem however comes with the vocals, vocalist 'Agent M' lacks power in her delivery and comes across as weak throughout, in many songs she is way down in the mix and it's a struggle to hear what she's singing. Considering the songs are fast and loud she just doesn't seem to cut it, she smiles all the way through but fails to inject any passion or aggression and subsequently what could have been a great performance, instead becomes mediocre and somewhat boring after about ten songs.
As for the extras, well you get Tsunami TV, which is basically the obligatory home video footage of life on the road and is pretty pointless and dull for the most part. There is however a touching moment when a cuddly Elmo gets decapitated! The interesting part of Tsunami TV though is the live footage shot from the crowd, much rawer than the main show and with poor sound it does however convey more energy and really gives you a proper idea of what a Tsunami Bomb gig is like. Agent M's vocals are more prominent but you still can't tell what she's singing! What's good about the road footage is that they really do come across as themselves, there's no pretence and they all seem like genuinely nice people. This is all fine and dandy but it doesn't make for very interesting viewing unfortunately!
The other noteworthy bonus is the commentary, here you can watch Tsunami Bomb in a little corner of the screen watching their own show and talking rubbish (more often than not about anything other than the show!). You also get a video for 'Dawn On A Funeral Day' which is fairly low budget and uninteresting, frustratingly Agent M can't even manage to get excited and 'give it some' in her own video!
If you're a fan you get some well-shot live footage and some stalker style behind the scenes insight, whilst not the most exciting live DVD I've ever seen it is quite entertaining but has limited longevity. Tsunami Bomb are one of those punky bands that are somewhere between pop punk and hardcore, and as such, form a convenient stepping stone on a journey to extremity! If the furthest you've got is Ms Lavigne then buy this and take the next step.