What's Happening in Lowell, MA…

An “All Ages” matinee is planned in Lowell that will get the new year off to a rocking start.

Four rock bands will be coming to Lowell to liven up January for everyone. They are the F.U.'s, Disaster Strikes, STOPLOSS, and Secret Spirit. The groups are punk bands, and some have been singing for decades.

The F.U.'s formed in Boston in 1981, as a hardcore punk band. They adopted the name Straw Dogs in 1986 and began to move toward a heavier metal sound, but went back to the F.U.'s in 2010, and have kept that identity.

Disaster Strikes is also a hardcore punk band that originated in Boston. Many of their lyrics promote social justice and workers' rights, issues that concern the band deeply. Secret Spirit hails from Manchester, New Hampshire, and calls its sound “melodic punk rock.”

The term “All Ages” doesn't mean people of all ages will be admitted. Instead, it refers to a film of the same name that profiled early punk bands, including the F.U.'s.

The Thirsty First: Tavern & Grill will host the bands, with the concert scheduled for 2.00 pm until 6.00 pm on January 19. Thirsty First is on Central Street in Lowell, and takes its name from the fact that on June 30, 1919, wartime prohibition was set to begin the following day, which some referred to as the “thirsty-first.” Poster printing can create striking advertisements for events like this.