*this article is part of a local punk magazine for Eyesore*
Last night in Charleston SC, we had four awesome bands play some hardcore music at our favorite local record store, Monster Music. Here’s a little recap of everything that went down. Oh! and happy birthday Joe!
First up was To Forget. This band legitimately sounds like a jet taking off. As they gear up to take to the skies, they lay down heavy shoegaze riffs until the sound of static envelops the venue. Listeners often find themselves lost within this storm, guided only by bass grooves. With Show Me Mary’s Andy behind the wheel of the thunderous drumming on this project, this Charleston band proves itself to be a total powerhouse.
“Drumming in shoegaze is a lot about just feeling the vibe and figuring out where you’re supposed to fit into it all- finding the groove in the sound.” – Andy
Habak – self described as “Melodic Crust” – is a hispanic hardcore band from Tijuana, MX. They’ve been on tour with Quiet Fear & Massa Nera for a week or so and the road ahead looks long for the crew. They absolutely crushed their set, striking up the same fires that had people moshing to To Forget. As Monster Music erupted into chaos, waves of heavy riffage flooded the room.
*Stay tuned for an interview with Habak later in the article*
The show marched on with Quiet Fear, who continued the onslaught of heavy hardcore. Quiet Fear are a Latinx + Chicanx punk band all the way from Los Angeles, CA who put their whole heart into their performance. As they belted lyrics about anti-capitalism and anarchy, they shook the store to its core.
Finally, it was time for Massa Nera to take the stage to close out the night. As they screamed passionate vocals over hardcore guitars they sent the crowd into frenzy after frenzy. Dance circles and mosh pits formed as the show came to its conclusion. The New Jersey post-hardcore outfit gave it their all, smiling amidst the madness around them.
The passion of all the bands performing made this an unforgettable night. Thank you so much to To Forget (SC), Habak (MX), Quiet Fear (LA), and Massa Nera (NJ) for a fantastic show.
Shoutout to Ember and the rest of Monster Music for taking good care of us and running the show!
Habak Interview:
How did y’all get your name?
They briefly explained that their band name came from a Hebrew word.
“Noun. habak. a talisman worn around the belly. a bellyband; a band worn by babies to protect the navel.”
What’s your favorite moment of a show?
“Just watching people dance and get really into the music. Seeing the crowd respond to what we’re doing on stage makes us really happy.”
Do y’all have any meaningful tattoos?
All but one member showed off that they shared tattoos of a Burning Church.
What records did y’all pick up?
They went through and showcased a variety of their selections, here’s the roundup:
Advaitic Songs by Om
7” To Forget
EPs from Subhumans
Crass discography
King Woman
Do y’all have anything else y’all want to say?
“Shoutout to monster because they were really nice to us; Really good music, really good people, really good venue- and we love that there are spaces like this that makes things like this possible.”
What are all the bands y’all are repping on your shirts?
They went around the circle and shared about the bands they were repping. Here’s a roundup:
Stinker
(Friends from LA)
David King Crass
English Punk Band
La Cruez
“Their music is focused a lot around storytelling about the border and such. It’s very political told through fast hardcore Latina punk.”
CORRUPTED
Japanese Metal
HONHO
Spanish Sludge Metal
Sól
Doom Ambient from Portland, OR
Special thanks to:
avantgardnerradio for the Habak video + translating the interview.
demonmania__ for photography + publishing this article in their zine.
insectlatex for publishing this article in their zine.
