Middle Aged Queers at Bowery Electric (photo by Kate Hoos)

 

When the Middle Aged Queers roll into town, you know the party is about to get started. They are a band I have been following for a while yet had not yet had the joy of experiencing live since they are on the West Coast and I missed their last show here (but dispatched FTA photographer Kevin who captured a wonderful evening which you can see here). Suffice it to say, this middle aged queer was MORE than ready to get down with some good old fashioned East Bay style pop punk. The show was bookended by support from American Television who opened and Fat Heaven who closed out the night, making for a night of excellent vibes and super big hooks.

 

American Television kicked things off and played a tight set, easily flexing their pop punk chops. And much to my delight, they took time to hit a cover of the Minor Threat classic “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” (complete with their singer holding a beer in his band as he shouted), making a perfect addition to the show. Long time NYC scene vets Fat Heaven played a slew of their classics like “Crybaby,” “I Am Trash,” and “Quarter Life Crisis,” ending out the night on a high note with some great sing along moments.

 

Though they played second of three bands, Middle Aged Queers were the absolute stars of the show; they fully channel the classic Lookout! sound of the 90s and made me feel like I could close my eyes and be transported back 30+ years to be standing at Gilman watching this show. Complete with Golden Girls themed “go fuck yourself” t-shirts, they really are the band I’ve been waiting for all along. Each and every song is a bop and with the bubbles flowing and the balloons bouncing, how could you not have fun?

 

Their stage banter is next level and song intros usually went along the lines of “this song is about dicks” and “this song is about butt stuff and stuff in butts” before singer Shaun “Shauners” Osburn asked “are you going to chant ‘butt stuff?'” which the crowd quickly obliged prompting him to declare “dreams do come true!” All you need to do is listen to their theme song and you’ll quickly get the gist of what they are all about; warning though, you’ll probably immediately fall in love.

 

I wanted to buy merch at the show, but I realized that I’ve already ordered all of it online! Shauners also personally sent me a postcard to invite me to the show for a very lovely and decidedly 90s touch that made me smile.

 

And while the band is hilarious and loads of fun—with cheeky, perfect merch paired with their danceable songs about cats and dicks and butts and all kinds of queer silliness—they do address serious issues along the way too, with songs calling out shitbag TERFs (“TERFs Up”) and phony Pride pandering by companies just looking to make a buck during June (“This Song Is Sponsored By Absolute Vodka”) for the complete package of a band that knows how to party but will also not take any of your (hetero) shit either. Like Shauners said, dreams really do come true!

 

Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kate Hoos)

 

AMERICAN TELEVISION

 

FAT HEAVEN

 

MIDDLE AGED QUEERS