Redd Kross @ the Tavern – 7/8/24
Photos & Words by Mike Mitchell

Redd Kross paid a long-awaited visit to Seattle at the sold out and raucous Tractor Tavern in mid-July. The LA based pop/punk/glam band hadn’t visited Seattle since the fall of 2019 and tickets were snapped up in short order when the show was announced this past spring.

The Redd Kross camp has been a flurry of activity in 2024 with a new documentary, a couple of books on the band, a new double studio album, and a sold-out US tour. It seems farfetched that the McDonald brothers (joined in this band incarnation by lead guitarist Jason Shapiro and drummer Dale Crover) have been at it for 45 years but less so when one remembers that they strapped on their guitars at a very early age. Steven and Jeff got their start in Redd Kross (then ‘Red Cross’) in 1978 at the ages of ll and 14 respectively, opening for early southern California punk outfits such as Black Flag.

The show at the Tractor drew from all eras of their career, including a healthy selection of tunes from this year’s ‘Redd Kross’ (aka ‘the red album’). Redd Kross have a reputation as an exciting, high energy live act and their Tractor performance was true to form.

The quartet returned to the stage after a loud and satisfying set for a two-song encore of ‘Crazy Horses’ (The Osmonds) and ‘Deuce’ (Kiss). The at-first-blush unlikely pairing of songs was a fitting example of the ground that Redd Kross covers, especially in a live setting. They have a talent for seamlessly melding trash pop with the more colorful trappings of heavy metal and the raw energy and volume of punk rock. The show was opened by Redd Kross/Melvins drummer Dale Crover, who spun a selection of tunes followed by a short acoustic set.