In the band's latest release, a concept album titled The Body, The Blood, The Machine, singer Hutch Harris imagines a world in which a flimsy political regime is propped up by Christianity. "It's basically what we have now with Bush," Harris told SPIN.com before taking the stage with his band last night at Seattle's Chop Suey. Fueled on that fervor, the band delivered a blistering set to a sold-out crowd of clearly loyal fans. High schoolers and thirty-something banged their heads and collectively moshed to signature Thermals tunes like "No Culture Icons" (off the band's first album, More Parts Per Million), "How We Know" (off their breakthrough disc, Fuckin A), and their latest album's "Pillar of Salt."
With the addition of a second touring guitarist and new drummer Lorin Coleman, Harris and company thrilled fans with their nearly non-stop set; any pause between songs was to thank the crowd profusely for coming to see the show. Among the most polite live bands around, Harris' pleasantries belied the scathing, anti-establishment lyrics he spewed. TIFFANY WAN / PHOTOS BY JULIA SALAMONIK
We asked: Which Thermals album keeps you warmer at night: More Parts Per Million, Fuckin A or The Body, The Blood, The Machine?
Name: Bradley Delay
Age: 30
Hometown: Portland, OR
Occupation: Artist and part-time retailer
"The Body, The Blood, The Machine. To me they sound like Screeching Weasal, and I enjoy them. It's a multidimensional album."
Name: Myles Harvey
Age: 19
Hometown: Reno, Nevada
Occupation: Student
"The Body, The Blood, The Machine. I like the feel [of the album] a lot. It's a good album to listen to all the way through."
Name: Jamie Cole
Age: 20
Hometown: Lynwood, WA
Occupation: Student
"More Parts Per Million. I've been a fan forever. They remind me of my teenage years!"
Name: Asya Yaschenko
Age: 16
Hometown: Lynwood, WA
Occupation: Student
"More Parts Per Million. It's the first album I heard of theirs. I like their lyrics and that they're outspoken about things."
Name: Mark Virkelyst
Age: 18
Hometown: Shoreline, WA
Occupation: Student
"Fuckin A. I just think the vocals and guitars are well developed."
Name: Tiffany Martin
Age: 18
Hometown: Orange County, CA
Occupation: Student
"The Body, The Blood, The Machine. It's fun. They're a unique band with a unique style."
The Thermals' Kathy Foster
Hardly the poster boy for Speed Stick, Hutch Harris
Foster says "ahhh"
Crowd surfing at Chop Suey
