Hygiene Tour 22 Plus More
Drug Church Tour 2022. Allow me to set this up. I am by no means an authority on punk and hardcore. I did go through a block of time where I did not discover new bands in these genres. However I’m changing that a little bit at a time. What better way than to check out the Drug Church tour ? I can’t think of a better way to jump back into live music. This is my first show since lockdown. So onward. Four bands. Each slightly different, each complimentary to each other. The energy was great even before any of them played. Show was at Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, AZ on 04.12.22
First band up was Chicago’s Lurk. Here you will find the most recent digital release. https://lurkusa.bandcamp.com/album/around-the-sun
The bare bones deal on their sound? Tight, groovy hard rock that is unashamed to jump into some hardcore or punk.
Thank the maker. When you need a break from youth crew or really hard aggression, Lurk is available. Their music feels good recorded. Live? Even more so. I’m hooked. In addition to your traditional guitar, bass, drums, vocals, Kevin Kiley sings and adds some Moog. At times over the years the Moog was a thing of novelty among self proclaimed “experimental ” artists. With all the oscillators and filters it can get very sci fi quickly. So Kevin has energetic stage presence and knows when to use the synth to color the song just right. I tend to think of it like he’s color correcting each song as if it is a photo, if that makes sense.
Make no mistake, Lurk brings the A – game energy.
Two guitarists, Kevin and Alex both playing off each other and layering the sound as it should be, if not why have the 2nd guitar, right ? Love the gear and tonality they both have. Look for a feature / interview that will be coming at some point to blog or maybe MeatSheet #8.
Next we have the rhythm section. The do or die make it or break it for a bands instrumentation. Loose rhythm section in a band ? Things fall apart.
Pedro is a hard hitting beast. Those drum heads do not stand a chance. Likewise, speaking of rhythm, bass.
Dan holds down the low end. I cannot tell if it was the live sound engineer’s mix or intentional, but the bass was prominent in the mix and sounded thunderous and driving. More so than Lurk on recording. That is not to say one is better than the other. It just stood out and made Lurk’s infectious driving bounce all the more.. dare i say? Dance – able.
If this band comes through or I happen to be in town they are playing I’ll do what I can to see them. Once a year is great, but if I could catch them two times.. I’d dig it.
Second band up, Soul Blind. OK people, if you are going to down tune your bass and treble strings, take note of how these guys roll. It’s not guttural and burpy / farty like so many bands/ players I hear. Soul Blind use it to make the riffs more dense and add weight. Hailing from Hudson Valley New York Soul Blind deliver pummeling heaviness. Tempered with vocals in the neighborhood of Layne Staley, Cen plays bass and sings. Seeing them perform their stuff live on stage makes me love the music more.
The tonality, heaviness, melody, all dialed in. Although there is obvious 90’s grunge influence, Soul Blind hit on the harder side of that spectrum and are not afraid to venture into Helmet and similar Amphetamine Reptile bands that go heavy.
If you seek out their songs you may also discover that they also dabble with melody. One may liken it to a shoegaze sound. Overall though, Soul Blind aim for heavy. Ripe with moods ranging from relaxed, depressed and wanting to headbang (sometimes combinations thereof) they are a force to be reckoned with.
I highly recommend starting with their Promo 19 and Third Chain EPs https://soulblind.bandcamp.com/album/third-chain-ep if your interest is provoked. How could it not be ? Also if my ramblings are not too much for you, then please read about Promo 19 here. https://meatsheetfanzine.com/introducing-the-mismiths-suffer-little-children-in-heat-manchester-meets-misfits/
Not only was I able to correct a typo in the above link.. but I think I did a fair or better job exposing the band’s sound at that time. Here’s the thing, they’re growing fast. Can’t wait to see and hear more from these Hudson Valley players.
Third band was One Step Closer from Wilkes Barre, PA. A hilly part of east Pennsylvania that used to be home to the Posi Numbers Fest. I had very little exposure to their music. Maybe 10 – 15 minutes to listen to their most recent release This Place You Know. It was not a proper listen so when they performed I knew very little what to expect. Save for fast hardcore. Look them up here https://onestepcloserxxx.bandcamp.com/album/this-place-you-know
These guys won me over. Fun times. Undeniable energy. All the bands had powerful stage presence this night. One Step Closer had the most energetic youth crew energy of all four. Jumps with guitar in hand. Par for the course if you see hardcore bands.
Even though I didn’t know the material it was a blast to watch.
It is strange to see east coast bands play here and the crowd is almost always tame. I don’t understand that. There was no shortage of opportunity during this and the other sets to go off. You would think coming off a pandemic that people would lose their shit for any of these bands, but not even that mattered. There was crowd interaction, some did move around. Typical pushing each other around. No style. But no piling on. No moshing that looked like anyone was really invested. Alas if it was a good time for them I guess that is what is important. As a result, One Step closer and the others played hard despite this.
Ryan the singer was wearing a navy blue Bold shirt. Stuff like this really puts into perspective that times change but there is also the history that came before it. After seeing and hearing this single live set I will be doing a more comprehensive listen. Who knows maybe OSC will be up for a long distance interview ?
The fourth and last band is Drug Church. Drug Church brought the fire with them to the stage. Patrick, the vocalist definitely knows how to work a crowd. Here is a link to the latest stuff https://drugchurch.net/
At the risk of sounding repetitive and negative.. The crowds in Arizona hardcore shows I’ve seen for the most part are lackluster. Patrick did get one of the best if not the best I have ever seen.
There was no opportunity for people to be staring at their phones in the front row. Yes I observed this before , more than once.
The energy increases as Drug Church plays. Culminating with Patrick asking the crowd to go off as if they had just stolen a catalytic converter off a vehicle. Apparently this is based on reality of this happening to one of the bands on this tour. Nice, right? AZ doesn’t already have enough working against it.
Additionally Patrick asks the crowd to have the best time possible. How cool is that ? I did. I didn’t even need a confetti gun , balloons , or any stage props.
Also noteworthy, dual guitars on both left and right make for a stereo experience one cannot get on their latest release Hygiene. Of course live is not as controlled situation as studio ( obvious) but Drug Church delivers nonetheless. They bring the chops of the studio plus the spontaneity of live performance.
Again, like the other bands that have two guitarists, Drug Church’s six string section was in great form. Nick and Cory play off and with each other to create the sound you may already know. Cool slide whistle and pitch shifts which make for guitars changing into synths and then back again.
The rhythm section wins. The drum and bass were seamlessly woven into the set
Featuring another Patrick on bass and Chris on percussion, their grooves are locked tight.
Bonus points for Patrick’s bass, tone , and stance. Regrettably I could not watch Chris (and all the drummers) due to where I was standing. The sound of the beats was on point.
I’d love to see this band and all the other three again any chance I get. That is a pretty tall order, Nordberg. That is unless I hop a train, plane, or road trip it far outside my comfort bubble. Hey you just never know.
In conclusion. I am asking AZ fans of music and bands to up their game. These four bands provide me with a memory I hope not to forget soon. The four acts are tight, well rehearsed, and sounded great. Hat tip to Rebel Lounge. Staff and sound engineer. Everyone seems cool. I knew Soul Blind and Drug Church were going to be great.
Lurk and One Step Closer were also, allaying any concerns. I cannot thank these bands enough since they chose to tour and stop here. For me it is kind of a big deal. If you like these bands show your support. Touring is a formidable beast that seems like fun and games until you travel yourself. Lastly look for more photos and content with Lurk, Drug Church, One Step Closer. and maybe.. Soul Blind. Keep up your mental, physical, and spirit Hygiene if that is what you are called to do. Meat
