Reunited Fluid For Secret Seattle Gig!

Playing Thursday night at Sunset Tavern as warm-up for “official” Saturday night Sub Pop set.

By Fred Mills

BLURT has learned — this isn’t the world’s best kept secret, but hey, we think it’s pretty fucking cool just the same — that the mighty Fluid will be performing a secret show in Seattle leading up to its spot at the Sub Pop 20^th Anniversary bash (which you can read about HERE).

According to vocalist John Robinson, the band is appearing Thursday night at the Sunset Tavern, located at 5433 Ballard Ave NW. The show is officially listed on the venue’s website as featuring The Press Corps “with special guests,” but the fact that it’s also listed as having already SOLD OUT probably indicates that this “secret” gig, indeed, ain’t such a big secret at this point.

Robinson tells BLURT that having done extensive rehearsals, plus a pair of preliminary gigs at the Fluid’s old stomping grounds in Denver on June, the Fluid is in fine form and that all five members — Robinson on vocals; James Clower and Rick Kulwicki on guitars; Garrett Shavlik on drums; Matt Bischoff on bass — are feelin’ the love like it’s the late ‘80s and early ‘90s all over again.

“We’ll probably play the same songs [in Seattle] as we did in Denver,” says Robinson, “and I don’t think anyone’s going to be disappointed.” The band got back together specifically for the Sub Pop 20^th event after being encouraged by the label’s Jonathan Poneman and Megan Jasper; the Fluid were Sub Pop’s first non-Northwest band and were peers of Green River/Mudhoney, Nirvana, Tad, Soundgarden, etc. The two Denver gigs were their way of saying “thank-you” to their old hometown crowd, and YouTube videos of the shows confirm that said crowd was pretty damn chuffed.

“But we’re also doing this out of no expectations other than to please ourselves,” he adds.

Watch for the July/August digital magazine of BLURT for our exclusive Fluid feature. We’ll also have the Green River story for you. Why? Because we care, gentle readers. We care.