Hale Bopp Astronauts
w/ Kairos, Cutting Teeth
Sat. Jan. 7
8 p.m.
$5
Tin Roof
Satirical punk band Hale Bopp Astronauts are here to open your eyes to the truth, man. With songs about alien invasions and government conspiracies, and a stage show that references the Heaven’s Gate cult, HBA are winking pretty hard at the audience.
Paste this subject matter over bursts of pop-punk that rarely breach the two-minute mark, and you’ve got a recipe that’s all fun and games. But, take this red-pill punk with a grain of salt — the Astronauts are not trying to wake the sheeple.
“We’re kind of just poking fun at the whole conspiracy theories of shadow governments and cults and all-around weird shit around the internet,” says guitarist/ vocalist Scott Burns.
It’s a mixture of two different methods to question the man, and they’re blended into songs that always let the listener know it’s not too serious. Tunes from their self-titled 2016 debut like “Phoenix Lights” and “Nell’Ombra” are light-hearted and light on their feet, while laughing at the tinfoil hat enthusiasts.
“Loser’s Anthem” and “Attention All Punks” take some time out of the Hangar 18 blogging to give a quick “fuck you” to pretentious, obnoxious club goers. The album’s all about the outsider’s perspective and, more importantly, pissing people off.
“If they want to hate me for what I do, then so be it,” says Burns.
“That hasn’t happened, yet, but that’d be cool if it did,” says bassist Kevin Schmoll.
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