Anti-Flag, The Asylum, Birmingham - review with pictures

With the main room of The Asylum looking to still be recovering from the Halloween party the weekend before, Anti-Flag introduced their brand of politically charged punk rock to the crowd with You’ve Gotta Die For The Government, before venturing into more recent material from latest album American Fall.

“It’s been about a year, but it’s year too long. Know what I mean?” said frontman Justin Sane.

He addressed the crowd on standing against bigotry and fascism right before the band played Racists, another song from American Fall.

Never short on energy or ever running out of steam, bassist and vocalist, Chris #2 leaped high across the stage, while Justin Sane's ultra wide power stance seemed to stretch across the width of it.

Aside from all the partying to anthems such as Turncoat and raising middle fingers in unison to F**k Police Brutality, the platform was given to members of support band Worriers to raise awareness of charities they were supporting that help refugees and members of the LGBTQ community.

Their front woman Lauren Denitzio later joined Anti Flag on stage for their cover of The Cranberries’ Salvation.

On a mission to strike fear into fascism with punk rock as their weapon of choice, Chris #2 encouraged the crowd to dance away bigotry, violence, and racism during All Of The Poison, All Of The Pain from American Spring, and to sing loud and proud enough so that American President, Donald Trump could hear it.

Anti-Flag ended their night in Birmingham with Chris #2 and their drummer onto the floor of the The Asylum, with the crowd surrounding them during the ending of Brandenburg Gate.

The room was left with the Soundtrack of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, a message that they will be bringing to the rest of the UK.

By Aatish Ramchurn