Stage presence can’t be taught, it’s something that comes naturally. You’re born with it. There are many bands that pull off a great stage show and while it’s entertaining it doesn’t come off genuine. Sometimes it comes from fatigue from being on the road or other times it’s just simply going through the motions.
Bobaflex is one of the hardest working bands out there today. They are constantly on tour. And they have genuine stage presence and a love for rock you instantly feel in the crowd.
When talking to co-frontman Marty McCoy (shares lead vocals with his brother Shaun), he mentioned that they’ve played 154 shows in the last year. They live in their tour bus. They shower and shit* at 24 Hour Fitness. They’ve been doing this for 15+ years and have a nightmarish past with music labels and engine-exploding tour buses.
It kills me at concerts when people watch through their cell phones and take constant pics. With a photo pass, I was at Herman’s Hideaway in Denver, to do exactly that but by the end of their opener “Start a War,” I had to pause. I didn’t want to miss what I was witnessing: A pure rock show with perfectly executed four-part harmonies, ripping guitars and all band members commanding the stage.
The term “underrated” is thrown around a lot for bands that don’t make it to the next level but there’s usually a good reason for that. Bands are typically “perfectly rated;” there’s something in the mix that holds them back. For BobaFlex it could be their band name (silly), the industry (shitty) and pay phone etiquette (see below). They don’t have a label and are 100% DIY so they do have their limitations for promotion, costs. As far as the band though they have all the ingredients for success: the look, talent, passion and – most importantly – the songs.
On the Cobras & Fire podcast I co-host (along with Decibel Geek scribe Bakko) we’ve featured Bobaflex countless times including two interviews with Shaun and Marty Mccoy. The track “Last Song” was the first song on our debut episode: Great Bands with Silly Names. They are part of the new breed of bands proving rock’s not dead that inspired us to start the podcast. Any fan of melodic kickass rock ‘n’ roll needs to own these three albums: Hell in My Heart, Charlatan’s Web, and Anything That Moves. And their next album should be out later this year.
I can summarize the concert as this: If they hit your town – GO. Along with a setlist mix of their last 3 records, they have a killer new cover of Pink Floyd‘s “Hey You” you can download on iTunes. Unfortunately, they have retired their spectacular cover of “Sound of Silence” they’ve been doing since 2010 to avoid any confusion with Disturbed‘s recent (inferior) version. Great show. My only complaint is I wish they would’ve played a longer set.
*No shitting on the tour bus. It is law.
SETLIST
Start A War
I’m Glad You’re Dead
Chemical Valley
Mama (Don’t Take My Drugs Away)
Never Coming Back
Bad Man
A Spider in the Dark
Low Life
Home
Losing My Mind
Hey You
Bury Me With My Guns On
Bobaflex Official / Bobaflex Facebook / Bobaflex Twitter / Bobaflex Instagram
Want more rock? Check out Cobras & Fire: Rock Podcast starring Loose Cannon (the amazing writer and photographer of this article) and Bakko.
