Sorry for the delay in posting this review of the Refuse Resist show at O’Brien’s last Wednesday. Thanks to an unexpected night in the ER and the complete annihilation of my wireless (thanks, Comcast! You bastards.), this is coming a few days later than planned, but fuck it, it was a great show and it’s worth reviewing.

There’s not too much left to say about seeing Refuse Resist live. If you haven’t seen them already, you better get your ass in gear because they are only playing one more show before their 5-year anniversary/final show at the Midway in July. Last night reminded me all over again why I love these guys—crazy on-stage intensity that drives powerful, insightful lyrics. And they look like guys you could bring home to Mom and Dad, too, which makes for quite a contrast with their sound. They played their entire first album, 2008’s Mind:Yourself, which includes what singer Shawn describes as their ‘one hit wonder,’ “Still in Massachusetts.” They also threw in a cover of Cocksparrer’s “Watch Your Back,” at the (persistent) request of bassist Jamie Payette. Great set. I’m looking forward to their final show, July 15th at the Midway, when they’ll play through both of their albums, Mind:Yourself and 2010’s Socialized, and with any luck, throw in a couple more covers, too.

I missed the opening act, Traces of Empire, but got to chat and drink PBR with their guitarist Joe later on that night. I’m intrigued by the metal influence in their sound, and am excited to see them in the near future. In the Shit played a great set of really, really short songs. I would give them a chance, as I don’t think their demo screamfest is totally indicative of their sound.

The self-described “meat” of the show sandwich was The Enemy Within. These guys will probably be my new must-see hardcore act once Refuse Resist calls it quits. The Enemy Within’s current lineup was formed about a year and a half ago, by drummer Mike Mahoney and singer Joe Mageary. Mike credits the CraigsList ads which found them guitarists Bill Cunningham and Pat Cronin, and bassist Ryan Dillon. The band describes their music as a “soundtrack for standing toe-to-toe with the inner demons we all face, and saying ‘not me, not today, no way.’” Joe’s style is as pure and in-your-face as any hardcore fan would want, spending most of his time off the stage, stalking the floor and thrusting the microphone at fans.

The band showcased new songs “Spasms” and “All This Will End” off of their upcoming album, As Long as I Can Walk, I’ll Step Out of Line, which comes out in the late spring on What We Share Records. Their set was interrupted briefly by a drunk fan storming the stage before getting grabbed by bouncers. Joe stopped 2 songs to chastise the bouncers, and tried to convince them to let him stay to see their set (no luck, he got tossed). Not sure if they’ll be playing O’Briens’s again anytime soon, but you can catch The Enemy Within again on June 16th at the Rosebud in Somerville, and hopefully on an upcoming Mutiny on the Microphone podcast.