by Melissa Caruso

Liquor Store is a motley crew of New Jersey boys who pledge allegiance to the punk rock of the '70s, sticking to the nuts and bolts of their influences, and stripping away layers of sub-genre that so many of today's bands tend to get tangled up in. They sound like Mick and Keith, had they grown up watching Jackass. By stripping the Stones of their English proper and slapping on a cruder, darker dissonance, Liquor Store provides the type of piss and vinegar that might have them kicked out of some venues.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case with their set Friday night at Union Pool. Three blazing guitars provided enough juice to turn up everyone's dials to ten, and by the time the second song rolled around, there were mosh pits, flying beer cans, and 200-pound dudes crowd surfing overhead. (To get an idea, listen to "Free Pizza," a song that sounds like Chuck Berry on speed.) 

The only problem with Liquor Store is that their sound just might be too big for the confines of New Jersey. Come to New York, guys—all of our bands have gone soft.