The Bank Robbers haven’t been a band for all that long, but here they are releasing a DVD already. Crafted carefully by the band themselves, ‘The Rest Of Your Life Starts Here’ is a showcase really for their recent ‘The Pattern Reversed’ album, which I really enjoyed. For those not yet on first name terms with the band, the quintet hail from New Jersey and play an aggressive pop-punk/post-hardcore hybrid which twists and snarls alongside some melodic verses and choruses. Imagine Senses Fail circa the EP and you won’t be far off. It’s not a wholly new concept, but it’s done far better than most.
With the album out last year on No Milk Records, the band decided to put together a DVD featuring the usual live clips, videos and interview assortments, but rather than let a posh firm put it together, the band used their own editing equipment to put the DVD together, in real DIY fashion. The end result is a really rough around the edges package that is actually really endearing. If it had been done any other way it probably would not have worked as well. The live videos showcase songs from the album, with ‘The Rest Of Your Life Starts Here’ and ‘Let The Chips Fall’ possibly the standouts. The one thing you will notice about them is they are all shot from camcorders and come complete with wobbles and poor sound. It’s like a bootleg, done officially. Surprisingly the sound quality doesn’t affect your enjoyment, or at least it didn’t with me. TBR go off on stage and so do the crowd – the kids who slam dance and showcase their hardcore moves during ‘The Rest Of Your Life…’ is hilarious.
The DVD also has numerous other items, including a video, and subsequent making of, for ‘Let The Chips Fall’. The vid, again shot in entirely DIY fashion (and I’m assuming on a shoe-string budget) is very watchable, if not a little clichéd. Typically it’s the interviews and home movie footage on the road which stands out; from the young kid who says he prefers porn to The Bank Robbers, to the band playing in North Carolina in front of about two people. Members of Bowling For Soup, All Rights Reserved and the No Milk Records crew make appearances too, alongside some pretty appalling jokes. Thrown in trailers, credits and a short movie, and you have over 100 minutes of entertainment that is highly watchable.
‘The Rest Of Your Life Starts Here’ probably won’t convert thousands of new fans to the TBR cause – although the album would – but this is still a really enjoyable effort. It’s all pretty much made and constructed by the band themselves, which gives it a really charming feel. It’s funny in places too, and the short movies are kinda baffling; but then that’s half of the appeal. There’s nothing groundbreakingly new, but this release has an honesty and charm that has made me go back to it time and time again. I really like this band and I think you might too.
www.thebankrobbers.com
No Milk Records
Paul