Valentine’s Day can be a bit of a soppy holiday, awash in perfumed romance and sentiment. Fortunately, two new live shows from some bitter, realistic bands have surfaced on YouTube to temper the day’s schlock just a bit.
First up, and courtesy of Low Times, is a complete Fugazi show from April, 1995. The show, which took place at the Trocadero in Philadelphia, runs a relatively scathing 84 minutes and features glamorous shots of Guy Picciotto’s eyebrows, Ian MacKaye calling the audience “fuckers,” and plenty of high-energy, socially conscious rock.
If that clip doesn’t take some of the sugar out of today, then it’s time for dire measures; namely, this hour-long video of The Smiths playing Hamburg, Germany in 1984. Morrissey is in classic, mopey, fuck-you form, slowly whipping flowers around while crooning songs about being terribly miserable. Full disclosure: He’s wearing a pink shirt, which could be perceived as Valentine’s-friendly, but just minimize the window, turn off the lights, and revel in all the sadness. [h/t Annie Zaleski]