“We haven’t practiced in a year or so,” laughs vocalist Jason Beebout before opening with ‘Lake Speed’. He’s very self-deprecating in his humour, and there’s a disconnect between his appearance and the desperation crammed into his throat as tightly as his band are packed onto the tiny stage. Tattooed fists punch the air, raising layers of translucent dust in each roar and twisting chord of ‘Clean Up The Mess You Made’. “The songs that we do know, we don’t know very well, but there’s a lot more that we don’t…please don’t hold that against us,” Beebout apologises again, nervous behind his oversized green tortoiseshell glasses, but there’s no need for him to feel anxious. If anything, his self-conscious attitude adds authenticity to the everyman statements in his songs. It gives the nostalgic razor wire guitar and vocals on tracks like ‘Dead’ even more of an emotional hit, like a note passed behind your back. 

New songs, like ‘Crystallised’ with its warmth and closeness in the celebration of solitary hope, are received well but it’s the rarely unearthed gems from the extensive Samiam archive which get the biggest reaction. ‘Capsized’ might be older than some of the crowd, but the years have refined their teenage resentment, giving an outlet to the screams which they and we have held inside us for too long. Our rich, discordant claps tie our collective howls together. 1994’s ‘Don’t Break Me’ is almost acoustic before it bursts into magnetic, clouded rhythm. It has to be ‘Sunshine’, a song over two decades old, which shines the brightest though. Even the opening chords produce a huge burst of satisfaction and fulfilment, like a dam we subconsciously built inside ourselves has broken and everything floods out in pointed hands and frenzied bounces. “I hear from kids these days that the 90s are popular,” jokes Beebout before the gentle guitar droplets of ‘Mud Hill’ spread themselves across bass ripples. There’s a violent honesty in our response as we fling our hearts back with each grunge evoking soft drop down. 

Relying on the ‘old songs’ is a safe move and it’s fair to say that, judging by the faded t-shirts from long-dissolved contemporaries of Samiam, most of the crowd grew up with these songs. The band’s return feels tentative, seeking reassurance that their songs are still wanted and needed in 2024. They speed through their set, packing twenty three quick fire songs into ninety minutes with only a brief, awkward break before the encore, like they have a secret that they need to share before their courage fails them. However, its clear from even the briefest glance across the crowd at any point in their set that there was no need for nerves. ‘Full On’ sparks a huge jump up, with a whispered push as hands flail with each trip of the drums until the melody slows and breaks into pieces. The cut-throat trashy vibrancy of ‘Ordinary Life’ is what sends us on our way to spread the message that Samiam’s punk rock torch is still burning brightly. After thirty years of intermittent recording and touring, they’re still able to pull together a crowd united by musical sincerity. 

Kate Allvey

Slow feedback opens ‘Lake Speed’ before the speeding Samiam car revs up into a proper shouter to remind us that, yes, Samiam have always been brilliant. One seamless Tokyo drift later and we’re into ‘Crystallize’, one of the advanced singles to signal ‘Stowaway’s arrival, and that same haunting emotion that characterises a Samiam record is still present via laser guitar solos and ethereal backing vocals. “It was all a game I never learned to play,” sings Jason Beebout, and we wonder if he’s talking about the music industry that seems to have turned its back on the stadium tour could-have-beens. The lyrics to  ‘Lights Out, Little Hustler’ read like a message in a bottle to the band’s younger selves, because there was always “something in the way” of Samiam achieving the greatness they deserved that was “so hard to find”. This is a record for either a very specific audience, or for us all – if you’ve regretted a lost chance at success, or felt a tinge deep in your chest when driving away from the lights of a city you’re pulled into, then you’re the person who will feel an ache in your ribs when you hear this album. ‘Stowaway’ would be uncomfortable listening were it not so beautifully put together.

‘Stowaway’ is almost a eulogy to the past, to an imagined better time and place. “Can’t wait for something good to happen” is the refrain dragging the nostalgic ‘Scout Knife’ into the present, but those high notes and aching guitar etching into the stomping bass elevate the song above just a lovelorn sepia exercise in nostalgia. New members Colin Brooks (drums) and Chad Darby (bass) add a layer of muscle to the Samiam sound which is needed to temper the emotion, making the band seem stronger for their hardship rather than cracking at the seams, but the long, desperate Pearl Jam guitar chords from Kennerly are the stars of the show on this album. These extended notes in ‘Natural Disasters’ create this hollow, echoing monument to times and places and friends lost, filling the arena in your mind with lighters in hands aloft. It’s the title track, ‘Stowaway’, which strikes the most literal and figurative chords though; slower and more elegant in a colossal way, it’s a touching and intimate call to the baggage we all carry within us. 

In some ways, it’s great that Samiam took a long break because they utilised their life experiences to create a record rich in metaphor, feeling and tenderness. However, it’s the harshness of their exile from the punk scene that shaped the eroded, weather-worn cliff face of their sound, and you can’t help but feel sympathy for their situation as well as admiration for their achievement on ‘Stowaway’. Judging by the beauty and longing on this album, they absolutely need to stick around and make more of this heart-rending punk rock for many years to come. 

KATE ALLVEY

The Sunday night shows at Awesome Fest are always bittersweet. Some of the best sets happen Sunday night, but also it’s time to say good-bye to many friends for yet another year. Often people who have flown in for the weekend have early flights home and start disappearing throughout the evening. But those who made it through to the end were rewarded with an amazing set from veterans Samiam.

This will be the final opportunity to purchase discounted passes before the price goes up again when the final announcements are made next Monday, 15th January.

Awesome Fest is of intentionally limited scale and is aimed at showcasing the diversity, intensity, and beauty of DIY punk music. The organizers’ goal is to provide a safe, intimate venue to watch awesome bands, discover new music, and to hang out with friends from all over the US and the world. Awesomefest is not for profit and run by an all-volunteer staff.

For more information, the current band line-up, and tickets, go to the Awesome Fest 11 website.

Future flexi-discs will include Anti Flag, The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die, Beach Slang, Off With Their Heads, IRON REAGAN, The Smoking Popes, and many more. You can purchase the Samiam release in physical or digital format and get more information about the non-profit organizations that will benefit at the Say-10 Records website.

Ah, the Garage. Sometimes it sounds great/passable and sometimes it sounds like a horrendous pile of dogshit… tonight is the latter.

First up battling against a half empty room and the lovely sound is APOLOGIES I HAVE NONE, and since the move to a full band, they’ve really filled out and rounded off their songs. It’s a shame they’re fighting a losing battle tonight, but the band have plenty of promise and are always a welcome addition to a punk bill.

Conversely, BILLY NO MATES, struggle a bit more to convert the crowd, but provide the best between-song chatter of the entire evening. The band are possibly the sore thumb of the evening, but the elder statesmen of the bill keep things ticking over nicely.

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS get the best deal of the sound so far, and make no mistake about being pretty fucking great (as usual). Seemingly not worn out by a second gig in one eveing, the band continue to impress at every opportunity, and maintain their reputation of being one of the great unsung punk bands of recent years.

The main event this evening, unfortunately, turns into a bit of a shambles. The diabolical sound returns (clearly getting on the nerves of both the band and the crowd), and it’s a bit of a dissapointment considering how long SAMIAM have been away. It’s unfair to blame the sound entirely as the band are clearly a little unenthused as well, but it really does take all of the balls out of the performance. There’s more than a few people here that would have been seeing the band for the first time, and especially considering how strong ‘Trips’ is, it would have been great to see something a bit more special.

TOM AYLOTT

More pictures from the show in our photos section.

I didn?t see Vanilla Pod.

Now we come to The Draft. When I was talking to the singer in an interview beforehand you could tell that he was literally pissing his pants with excitement to be playing on this tour. And when you?ve seen fads come and go whilst playing in Hot Water Music for over a decade, you couldn?t help but share his excitement. And my own excitement was not placed with false hope as The Draft began belting out the already powerful and singalong melodies from In A Million Pieces. The fact that a lot of the guitar work is less frenetic than their predecessors means that greater importance is heaped onto the vocal delivery and the tightness of the performance. Again, you couldn?t have been disappointed with what was offered up. ?Alive or Dead? and ?New Eyes Open? resonated around the Well with a wave of positive energy to accompany it. But the singer?s excitement and the band?s performance was summed up by set closer ?Lo Zee Rose?. That song is just absolutely massive. Listening to its cries of ?Burn away, burn away!? now as I write this brings the shivers back. Brilliant. 9/10

I don?t know what to make of Samiam?s singer, I really don?t. A funny guy, but he?s clearly a nutter. Anyway, this part of the review could almost write itself. Samiam?s show was very powerful, and clearly meant a great deal to a large section of the crowd, many of whom had presumably waited a good few years to see this. My only criticism is directed at the setlist. There was no room for ?Ordinary life?, ?Look, no hand? or ?How long?, unless my memory deceives me. But it was a list which clearly pleased the vast majority of the crowd so I guess I must be a deviant, or something. As the actual performance showed few, if any, flaws, your rating of their set probably depends on how big a fan you are and how much liked the setlist. So grade from 8 to 10 according to your personal stance. 8.5/10

Spud