This show was one that has had my mouth watering for about a month. Just thinking about the line-up makes me giddy, three of NYC's best - Bouncing Souls (so what if they were transplanted from New Jersey?), the Casualties, and Roger Miret and the Disasters. And we were not to be disappointed, as each of these bands showcased their own trademark sound, wreaking plenty of havoc in the process. We got a taste of street punk/Oi! from the Disasters, hardcore punk from those chaos punx the Casualties, and the more light-hearted melodic punk of the Souls.

Unfortunately, Yours Truly arrived at the gig a bit late and missed most of openers Worthless United's set. Upon walking in I was greeted by their version of the Clash's "Tommy Gun," which is always good, so this New Jersey hardcore punk band is OK with me. Plus a couple of days earlier they had just played a Clash tribute show with another great band Plan A Project.

Next to take the stage was Roger Miret and the Disasters (Yes, that Roger Miret of NYC hardcore legends Agnostic Front fame) who really got the place going. This time around Roger and his minions - guitarist Rhys Kill, bassist Johnny Rioux of the Bruisers, and drummer Johnny Kray of the Krays, making for quite a super group - play old school street punk/Oi! a la Hellcat labelmates Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and US Bombs, as well as old British favorites Sham 69 and the Business, rather than hardcore. What we get are two-minute songs dealing with life on the streets, rebellion, and fighting.

The Disasters' set was pretty much following the track listing on their 2002 self-titled debut, opening with the energetic "Run Johnny Run," followed by "Kiss Kiss Kill Kill," and so on. Whatever, we got to hear all the gems off the album, including the anthemic "Give 'em the Boot," the undeniably catchy "Radio, Radio," and my personal favorite "Boys Will Be Boys," with Roger's tough snarling shouts of "boots and braces" that really got the pit going wild. And as they did at their show in early March, they played a Clash song, "Career Opportunities," dedicating it to Joe Strummer and to the "true" fans of the Clash - not the poseurs who just wear their badges and patches. Right on. After another Disasters' original composition, the vehement "Screw You," the kids got what they asked for - Roger decided to play Agnostic Front's "Crucified" after which he instigated the crowd to form a bigger pit. After all, his logic was understandable - they played that song for the kids, so now it was the kids' turn to do something for the band as well. In any case, they closed once again with the spirited "New York Belongs to Me," a reworking of Cock Sparrer's "England Belongs to Me." All the kids who knew the words were singing along. The unity was tangible. Absolutely great.

The Casualties, in all their gutter-punk glory, put on a frenetic, forceful show. They put their all into their performances - Jorge screaming his heart out with the crowd singing along to every song, while brightly colored spikes make like a whirlwind around the stage, as the music is delivered in the Casualties' now-legendary manic fashion which harkens back to early '80s British punk. They kicked off their stellar set with a classic, "Punx Unite," with chants of "if the punx are united, they will never be divided" and how there should be "no more fighting at the shows." And that's exactly what this band is all about, as Jorge would talk about later - unity in the scene. Well, the boys played a nice mix of songs, including the band's staple "Punk Rock Love," "Police Brutality," and the incensed "City Life" off 1997's breakthrough debut full-length For the Punx through to their latest record, 2001's Die Hards, from which they played pogo-inducing songs like "Nightmare" and "Die Hards." The Casualties ended it all with a little "40 Ounce Casualty," a song dating back to 1992. When they finished and left the stage, little 10 year-old kids bombarded Jorge, asking him to sign their Converse sneakers. And of course, the frontman, the affable guy he is, obliged with a smile.

Last up were the Bouncing Souls who, to put it simply, were in top form, unveiling two new songs among the slew of classics stretching back to 1994's debut album, The Good, the Bad, and the Argyle, like the silly "I Like Your Mom" to their latest full-length (way back in 2001 - we need a new record soon!) How I Spent My Summer Vacation, including "True Believers," "The Something Special," and the emotional "Gone." They also performed one off last year's indispensable split with Anit-Flag, a more serious song entitled "No Security." The impassioned and fun-loving Souls played two new songs, "Kids and Heroes" and "Born Free," which they played the last time they were in NYC. They opened their vivacious set with "Hopeless Romantic," off the album of the same name, and other highlights were "Kid," "East Coast! F*** You!" - the quintessential song when playing around here - "Kate Is Great" from 1997's eponymous release, and an insane version of the already-manic "Born to Lose" that saw vocalist Greg ranting and raving. Bassist Bryan appropriately ended it by saying it's a song about losing your mind.

After the Souls left the stage, they came back quickly and belted out a couple more crucial songs like everyone's favorite "Argyle" and ended on one of their newer songs "Manthem." Upon launching into the finale, Greg told the people in charge of lighting that if they turned the lights back off like the Souls had wanted, they'd play the serene "Night on Earth," but if the lights remained on, they'd kick out a rowdy "Manthem" and all hell would break loose. Well, the lights went out, but they still played the latter song and the crowd (and the band) just went nuts. The Souls unleashed pure havoc while heaps of kids ascended the stage, so much so that kids were basically falling off the side onto us photographers and others comprising the Souls entourage. It got a little dangerous there towards the end, but once the Souls left for good, the crowd still hadn't had enough, as they loyally intoned, "Ole, ole, ole…" to no avail. This certainly was an apt ending to an intense night at Lake Grove's Sports Plus, as New York's finest put on a splendid display.