Review: The Queers are Here

The Queers
The Queers are Here

MVD
Street: 02.20

For hardcore Queers fan, The Queers are Here is the coolest thing since Love Songs for the Retarded. Frontman Joe Queer and an endlessly revolving lineup of others have been making simple Ramones-esque pop-punk for over twenty years now, and The Queers are Here serves as a celebration of the band’s music and a chronicle of their existence. Consisting of a bunch of concert footage, interviews with Joe and even a music video (remember those?) for “Don’t Back Down” The Queers are Here delivers a ridiculous amount of pop-punk goodness in only a little more than an hour. Some of the video and audio quality isn’t that great, and footage of the band clearly playing different songs than what’s coming out of the speakers is annoying, but seeing Joe talk about punk rock and perform classics like “Ursula Finally Has Tits” serves as fair compensation. Former frontman Wimpy even takes the stage for a few songs, showcasing the days when The Queers had a harder sound. High-art it ain’t, but The Queers were never about more than having fun, and The Queers are Here certainly attests to that. – Ricky Vigil