Nomeansno/Hanson Brothers

Would We Be...Live? DVD (2004)

Jim

When this DVD was announced, I remember a lot of people confused by The Hanson Brothers. They actually brought up the horrid pop group before they thought of the greatest sports movie of all time. While I'm sure these people weren't being serious, the comments made them look dumber than Andrew Ference. However, I doubt The Hanson Brothers drew most people to this DVD, it was more likely that their legendary alter-egos, Nomeansno brought most people in. Nomeansno's blend of punk and jazz has undoubtedly left its impression on inumberable bands and fans throughout their 25 year career, but this is the first (non-bootlegged, at least) documentation of their live.

This DVD covers a song from just about every Nomeansno release, and thankfully, the sound quality is top notch. With a band like this, at least in my opinion, the sound needs to be good to hear all the intricacies of each song, on here every instrument stands out and no one instrument drowns out the others. Despite their long tenure, the band shreds through their set with the energy of band playing their first show ever. The crowd interaction is great, and the audience really seems to be getting into it. It's nice to see this, because nothing kills the mood of a live video more than a lackluster crowd. The band plays tight and the songs done to perfection

I wasn't all that familiar with the Hanson Brothers before I got this DVD, aside from knowing they shared members with Nomeansno and that they liked hockey. Those two things alone made me want to like these guys. Their style is a lot more straight forward than their cohorts, and although you can hear some of the quirky tendencies bleeding through here and there, they mostly play straight up punk rock. I've heard comparisons to the Ramones, and that's not too far off. I hadn't heard most of these songs before, so I can't comment on how they were pulled off live, but they seemed to flow well. Again, the crowd seemed enthusiac, as did the band.

This is a really good representation of Nomeansno's career, and although some older footage would have been nice, this show does quite well for itself. I'll probably be checking out some Hanson Brothers songs as well. Fans of Nomeansno should really get this.