Thirty years of Troublegum. That can’t be right, can it? Because if it is, that means we’re in our mid-to-late forties, sporting grey hair and a beer gut.
Fuck.
Life’s rushing by like a speeding train, and before you know it, another decade’s vanished. Milestones like this are our way of hitting pause—brief moments to look back and take stock. But for Therapy?, it’s less about looking back and more about keeping the fire burning. They’re still cranking out killer records, like 2023’s Hard Cold Fire, which holds its own against the very album they’re celebrating tonight.
And what an album it is. Troublegum wasn’t just a hit; it was a game-changer. It brought punk fury, metal attitude, and razor-sharp melodies into perfect alignment—an uncompromising, raw blast of adrenaline that somehow became one of the 90s’ best rock records. Tonight, hearing it live is a reminder of why it resonated so deeply.
The show kicked off with Troublegum—and its companion EP tracks—played out of order, saving the most iconic cuts for last. In this setting, you realize there are no weak tracks on the album. Every riff, every hook, every snarling lyric hits with the same ferocity it did 30 years ago, delivered with Therapy?’s trademark mix of rage, energy and humor. James Joyce is doing what?
But this isn’t a band frozen in time. After wrapping their set with the undeniable anthem Screamager, Therapy? returned for a victory lap through the rest of their early catalog. The encores dug deep, nodding to albums like Nurse, and Infernal Love, with the haunting cover of Hüsker Dü’s Diane still sending shivers, even in this version that is closer to the punk rocking original than their more orchestral reworking. And then they brought it all full circle with Nowhere, the ultimate Troublegum rally cry.
For 90 minutes, the absolutely sold-out Petit Bain was a riot of punk-metal hybrid chaos—raw, loud, and gloriously alive. Ageing is inevitable. But the band proved that growing old isn't. Therapy? You're damn right.
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