The night started with Truck Violence, a four-piece post-hardcore band from Ontario. They brought heavy energy to start the night. Highlights include “New Jesus” and “Drunk To Death”.
The next act on the lineup was Crown Of Thornz. This set was a complete fail. The first two tracks were fine and sounded great. The vocalist, Ezac, was then making insensitive jokes and said a slur. This was met with backlash, and Ezac did not take that lightly. He jumped in the pit and attempted to fight a fan. He apologized and got back on stage to start the next track. As it started, another fan in the pit said something he didn’t like- he got back in the pit, threw the mic at a young fan’s head, then punched him right in the face. Mind you, the vocalist is in his 50s. It took multiple security guards to grab Ezac from the pit. The band was then ushered off stage, and their set got cut after just three tracks. This was a major disappointment considering the band is an iconic figure in the city’s hardcore scene. The band was booed loudly by the crowd.
Thankfully, Lip Critic got on stage 30 minutes after and turned the night around. Lip Critic is an electro-punk band from New York. They started the night with “Two Lucks” from their most recent album “Theft World”. The song includes lots of synth and unique vocals that really make the band stand out. The crowd made a great comeback after the prior failure- and basked in Lip Critic’s electric energy. More highlights include “Sermon” and their closing track “200 Bottles On Eviction”.
Around 10:15, Show Me The Body enters the stage. They begin their set with a trio of trumpet players playing a tune, which was a very ethereal way to start their set and felt very special. Then the set begins with “Overture” from their most recent album “Alone Together”. The energy of the crowd was wild. This was a home show for the band, and you could tell how proud the band was to be there. The next track was “Eat For Peace”, which really highlighted the vocalist, Julian. The band consists of Julian Cashwan Pratt on vocals, Harlan Steed on bass and Nijol Benjamin on Drums. Because this band is a smaller-scale group, it feels more intimate for the crowd. More highlights include “No God” and “Dance in the USA”, in which the band brings out a young girl named Thania Inguil, performing a Baile Folklórico (Mexican folk dance). Thania was dressed in a beautiful bright yellow skirt, and danced gracefully around the stage, before stage diving into the crowd with a huge smile across her face. She was also featured in the band’s music video for the track. More highlights include “Trash”, which Julian introduces, saying it’s an old track and it’s for those who have been with them for a while. He shares his gratitude for the new and old faces in the crowd. There are so many stage divers, considering this show does not have a barricade. Fans are also welcomed to sing into the mic every so often by the band, which really shows how prominent Show Me The Body’s roots are in the NYHC scene. Julian introduces “We Came To Play”, and asks the crowd to raise their hands if they’re an NYC native. He dedicates it to them. This one definitely had the most stage divers, and every one of them had a huge smile on their face. The energy of the whole crowd was radiating positivity, and highlights how tight-knit the scene in the city is. More highlights include “It Burns”, “USA Lullaby” and “Arcanum”. Julian often leaned into the crowd when he wasn’t playing his electric banjo to let the crowd sing with him. They ended the night with another well-known track, and he thanked the crowd greatly.
This night started off strange due to the situation with Crown of Thornz, but it was turned around completely. The mix of genres and experimental nature of the lineup was an amazing hardcore experience for all.
Set Lis
Overture
Eat For Peace
No God
Good Time
Dance in the USA
Do What’s Right (Happy)
Madonna Rocket
Camp Orchestra
Trash
Mileage
We Came to Play
Arcanum
Aspirin
Leave a Comment