Friday, October 18th, 2024 – Larissa, Greece
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| pre-gig Crutches |
After a couple of hours' sleep at my apartment in Thessaloniki (in a super comfy bed), I caught the 12:25 p.m. train to Larissa. It was a smooth 90-minute ride through open countryside and distant mountain backdrops — quiet and scenic, a welcome pause after two chaotic nights.
Larissa itself turned out to be a bit of a surprise. A beautiful city, full of Roman ruins and hidden archaeological sites scattered across parks, sidewalks, and plazas. You don’t need to search for history here — it’s literally built into the modern-day streets. The vibe was laid-back, a touch stylish even. A slower pace that didn’t feel sleepy, just settled.
I checked into Hotel Acropol, tucked away on 142 Eleftheriou Venizelou — €25 for the night. It was hot and a little grotty, the kind of place that might once have been described as ‘classic’ but now mostly felt forgotten. It wasn’t glamorous, but it did the job. After dropping my gear and rinsing off the last two days of sweat and smoke, I went out for food.
Found an upmarket restaurant nearby and devoured a huge Greek salad with chips and cold beer — all for the same price as the room (not cheap by any stretch, but absolutely delicious). My waiter and I got chatting. He clocked my accent and asked where I was from. One thing led to another, and soon we were swapping stories about Kythera, the island I’d lived and worked on back in 1990. I left a good tip. He’d earned it.
Later, I tracked down Crutches, already mid-meal with their tour hosts: Kristo (tonight’s promoter) and Nik Godgrinder. Nik plays guitar for Greek d-beat legends Dishonor and stands at least 6'4". When I attempted some pidgin Greek, he replied in full throttle. I didn’t catch a single word — thankfully his English is excellent. We laughed it off over beers, swapped border-crossing horror stories, and hung out while the band prepped for the show.
Since these gigs are held in squatted venues, they’re only advertised by word of mouth or encrypted text — too much exposure and the authorities come crashing down. Kristo drove me to the venue, a squat hidden beneath a canteen on the university campus on the outskirts of town. It felt secretive but welcoming — the kind of place where the smell of beer and cigarettes signal you’re in the right spot.
I was with the band long before the show started, caught the soundcheck, and stayed through the entire evening. We shared beers and jokes as the place began to fill with sweaty punks, wandering dogs, and local misfits.
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| πάνω από πτώμα μου |
The night kicked off with a return set from πάνω από πτώμα μου (Over My Dead Body), who were just as impressive as the night before. Their dense, dual-vocal hardcore sounded even heavier inside the squat’s concrete walls. There’s no performance flair — just grit, sincerity, and seismic noise.
In between, a band called Never Trust from Athens played a fairly generic thrash metal set. Technically fine, but energy-wise, things dipped a little. The crowd drifted to the grassy exterior, conversations started to drown out the riffs — the vibe just didn’t land.
Then Crutches hit the stage. Tighter than ever, absolutely feral. Their 25-minute set was pure controlled chaos — Oskar in full attack mode, Tom and Andreas’ guitars slicing the air, and Dan pounding the drums like a war machine. It was hot, packed, loud, euphoric — the sound bouncing off every graffitied wall. I was grinning like a lunatic from the first chord to the last feedback squeal.
After the gig, we swapped stories, laughed about border dramas, and someone passed around a bag of crisps like it was sacred. At some point around 3am, Kristo gave me a lift back to my hotel hovel, ears ringing, face aching from smiling.
Tomorrow: the final show in Athens. I’ll try to rest… but probably won’t.
