The Stools – Live At Outer Limits

Detroit’s blues punk trio The Stools latest release is a live album, it was recorded live at a home town show on a Saturday night at the end of December 2019 at the Outer Limits Lounge. That sentence should give you some indication of what to expect on Live At Outer Limits, a Saturday night when people can escape the family and gluttony of the festive season and swap it for a different kind of excess. The Stools are the perfect soundtrack for such a Saturday night, one that takes place on the home turf, the city that spawned the bands who inspired the first wave of punk bands.

The first impression is that the album cover resembles the bootleg tapes of old that were regularly for sale in pre-internet days, and its worth keeping that impression in mind for Live At Outer Limits. This is a raw recording that includes all the all the bands onstage interaction with the sweaty crowd, every scream and cheer, every dropped note, every feedback drenched fade out, and more importantly the energy of The Stools. You get 16 tracks that resemble The Cramps played with a hardcore velocity and delivery. This a raw unrefined live album, no overdubs, no edits, just a straight manic live performance, uncut from start to finish that crams 16 songs in thirty minutes.

Like almost every live album, some of the intensity and atmosphere of the night is lost, but Live At Outer Limits is an authentic document of a memorable night and is done just as it oughta be. If you were there that night then this is an essential souvenir, if you’re a fan of the dark side of rock ‘n roll and punked up blues and garage then The Stools just might be your next favourite band. If you want a reminder of how things used to be before anyone had heard of COVID 19 then Live At Outer Limits is the closest you’re going to get, at least for a few more months.

Live At Outer Limits is now available via Big Neck Records on vinyl and you can stream and purchase Live At Outer Limits via Bandcamp.