Stu’s House has been the beating heart of the Charleston DIY scene for over a year now- it’s well established itself as the place to be. Through this, Stu’s House has become a community- it’s special to see all these people come out and get involved in the scene. It makes people wanna do something- whether that’s photography, planning a show, or just picking up their old guitar. That’s why we teamed up with Stu the Cat to have our second NCC show at Stu’s House.
We talked with a few showgoers who said:
“It’s really cool to have somewhere that you can always count on having awesome music.”
“I really didn’t know something like this existed in Charleston.”
“You should really include those quotes in the article.”
Now let’s get to the show…
2.10.24
The sky turned dark, the lights came on, and a breath of fog filled the stage. Overlay, a shoegaze duo consisting of Jeff McGee and Oliver Pierce broke through the mist and delivered a ray of dark riffs and trampled beats. Stu’s House erupted into chaos as mosh pits broke out. McGee cranked his amp and baptized the backyard in a wave of distortion while Pierce filled in the sound with his powerful drumming. Overlay’s sound is brooding, ephemeral, yet destructive- following the study of locals Show Me Mary, with a Deftones-esq flair.
They just released their first single this past weekend- check it out below (it rules)
Up next, Gods took the stage. The duo of Phillip Ward and Deslin Price danced through prog rock and math rock- with Ward bouncing around the stage while fingertapping crazy riffs and with Price laying down wild drum fills- lifting his drumstick to the sky in his signature punk rock style. The crowd was feeling the energy as they continued to mosh through the night.
Newgrounds Death Rugby, champions of the Charleston indie rock scene, closed out the night with an explosive set. The 5 piece consists of Danny Jorgensen (he/they) on vocals, guitarists Dawn Durand and J Condon (they/them), Mark Condon on bass, and Graham McLernon (she/they) on drums. They kicked off with my personal favorite song in their discography- “The World Ends With You” (a track named after a super dope 2007 game). Newgrounds Death Ruby are a fireball- blazing through emotionally vulnerable and intense tracks that climax in intimate crescendos.
I got to talk with Danny a bit during the show and we reflected on the state of the Charleston and larger SC music scene. In short, we are blessed with a badass music scene and more bands should book a tour stop through SC. We always throw down here because- not only are we so appreciative for the music- our show culture just goes f*cking hard.
As a band that grew up in the circuit here- NGDR paved the way for the inclusive, badass, and rockin’ music scene we enjoy today. The band recalls playing shows at the Tin Roof when they were just youngsters- reflecting on how bands like Lefty Lucy are taking up the torch for young rockers in town now. What started 6 years ago with their biggest hit, “D & D Is Gay (But So Am I So This Tracks)” (currently, just shy of 3 million streams on Spotify), now has them on the cusp of releasing their third studio album- be on the lookout for it later this year! What started with Charleston house shows has grown into country spanning tours- recently with the likes of Your Arms Are My Cocoon and Weatherday. And how could I forget them playing with our favs Gingerbee! With all this cool stuff going on just about everywhere, NGDR still makes a great effort to keep the hometown flame alight with the best house shows you’ll find this side of the Mississippi. It’s a true honor for Charleston.
📷 (IG): theraqueldoubal
This was the second show brought to you by the New Curious City. I wanted to thank everyone for coming, all the amazing musicians for playing, Noah James for hosting (despite simultaneously having a gig at the Pour House that night), Bradley Simmons for running sound and lights, Elijah Sky Simmons (E.S.S.) for the awesome poster, Rocky for the majority of the photography in this article (including the cover photo), Stu the cat for their epic brand, and YOU the reader- for being curious enough to make it this far. We’ll see you at the next NCC Show!
psst! Your next opportunity to catch Newgrounds Death Rugby is Stu’s House, May 24th- alongside Bummer Hill and Sitris. We’re running it back!
yeaaaaaa!!!!!!!!