“Hello, we’re The Queers from Portsmouth, New Hampshire!”

Something about hearing Joe King spit those words in the microphone at a show makes me feel good inside —especially when they’re spoken at home. King and his legendary punk band were in Newmarket for a quick stop at The Stone Church as part of their worldwide, whirlwind 2005 tour. 

Since their last visit in March, The Queers haven’t left the road for more than two weeks. 

“We’ve been to Australia, all over Europe, Canada, the U.S., and we’re finishing up with another two weeks of shows in the States and Canada,” said Joe during a quick catch-up before the show. “We’re supposed to go to South America next month.”

Throw in the fact that he’s also currently putting the finishing touches on a tell-all book, and it’s no surprise that Joe’s feeling a bit road weary some days. Tired as he might have been, though, it had no bearing on the show. The crowd, made up of Queers’ fans and friends, complete with mohawks, leather jackets, Minor Threat pins and local rock luminaries, would not leave disappointed.

When I was asked to review the show, I joked that I could’ve written the review without even going. The Queers never let you down. What you see is what you get, and the hits were all there, including favorites “Love Love Love,” “Goodbye California,” “You’re Tripping,” “Ursula Finally Has Tits,” and “Night of the Livid Queers.” They churned and burned through 40ish songs, one piled on top of another with only a few breaks along the way so Joe could say hello or introduce a song. One slamming two-minute song was followed immediately by a four-count or guitar chord rock intro, right back into another two-minute punk gem. No talk, more rock—pedal down the whole time.

It’s obvious Joe was weaned on The Ramones, and The Queers ended the first portion of their set  with a raucous cover of The Ramones “Rock ’n’ Roll Radio”  before being joined for another round of 10 earsplitting hits by original singer Wimpy to complete the night. Look for The Queers back in the area after another trip around the world.