Show Review: The Bamfs

The Pinhook, Durham
July 13, 2011

The lightening cracked through an untimely early darkness as rolling thunder boomers crowded out the last glows of the late evening light a good half an hour before the earth turned its shoulder on the sun to gracefully meet nightfall on its own. Shortly, the unnaturally pale absence of light brought forth streams of rain which poured and poured turning every surface into a violent pool and every grade into a determined rush of dirty water. This torrent erupting just outside the window perched next to my warm comfortable living room couch was affecting the chemicals in my brain that influence ambition, and the drive I had for seeking a night of rock and roll was fading faster than the twilight did just moments before. Oh but the rock and roll god is a generous god and the clouds soon parted out as quickly as they had closed in. Unaware that the skirmish was over and still gushing towards battle, the rivers of run off filling the streets and back yards were the only sounds of the storm left when the crystal night sky opened up displaying a bright full moon. Looking up through the glass I caught the eye of the moon looking down just as it whispered, "Ok, you can go to The Pinhook now."

The Pinhook's own imagination of a thunderstorm was loud rock drenching a wiry eyed Wednesday night audience all holding long neck bottles instead of umbrellas. This was promised by the intriguing new post-punk revivalists The Bamfs, a high performing young group fronted by super energized Tiffany Banwart (The Mighty Good Ship). Not a guitar player like the other 99% of rock and roll front girls, Tiffany rather saves the thought spent articulating a six string to concentrate it fully on making a microphone replicate emotion. Just as punk as you need it to be, but the wild contortions of emotion that accompany any worthy punk inspired lyric convey less like outward angst from Tiffany, and more like the climactic moment of vapor lock while being tickled to death. It looks painful and fun at the same time and you'd like to have your turn next.

The sound track to this performance is courtesy of the intense characters behind her like lead gtr Tim Surrency (Barron) and Zeke Van Fossen (The Homewreckers) on bass. Their thundering is early and often but its not the storm that shut the lights off earlier, it's more of a rolling warm fuzz...an endless cloud bank of fluffy distortion too dense to see through, yet so light that eyes can easily lay upon it. They take everything and turn it all the way up and still maintain a melody as clear as if you are being lulled to sleep by a singular whispering voice. The Bamfs take hard and make it easy, heavy able to carry, and punk feel like pop. --Carrboro Ninja


The Bamfs









the Tim and Zeke reel