R.I.P. NoMeansNo, The OG Prog-Punk Weirdos
NoMeansNo, legendary Canadian punk rock outfit, called it quits just a few days ago after 30+ years of being Vancouver’s most unfuckwithable power trio. They’re one of those bands that you might not have heard, but they’re probably your favorite band’s favorite band.
I only heard NoMeansNo a few months ago, but when I did it was a revelation. They did everything I love about rock and roll, and they had been doing it longer than I’ve been alive. They are punk as hell, proggy as all get-out, and most importantly FUN AS HELL.
The constant members of NoMeansNo were the Wright brothers, Rob and John, who functioned as a jazz-punk bass and drums duo in their early years until they added Andy Kerr on 6-string guitar and signed to Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label in 1983.
To me, no other band previous to NoMeansNo had such a strong ear for progressive compositions while playing their music with a such genuinely punk-as-fuck attitude. 90% of fans will tell you the high point if their artistic output was 1989’s Wrong, and I am definitely among their number.
Thankfully, we will still get one last record from the minds of the Wright Brothers as they are slated to compose an album to be performed by Compressorhead, the world’s foremost animatronic rock band named after a Motorhead pun.
They had a remarkable run and I’m sad to know I’ll probably never see them live, but I will always respect a band’s decision to call it quits. Watch their classic lineup shred a couple of my favorite tunes below, and let’s raise a glass to Canadian punk’s most underrated weirdos.
