On March 27th, Lurk, One Step Closer, Soul Blind and Drug Church performed at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Featured on the left is the flier for the tour found on the band’s Instagram, @drugchurch.
The show started off with LURK, who is a punk rock band all the way from Chicago, Illinois. Their music is heavy hitting and fast-paced. This band makes you want to bang your head and jump around. Although many people didn’t know much about this band prior to the show, it was clear that the crowd was impressed. Their energy was contagious and was a great band to start off the night.
One Step Closer was next up to play. They are a hardcore punk band from Wilks-Barre, Pennsylvania. This is when the crowd finally began to move around and open “the pit.” Their melodic riffs are so much fun to dance to. People were non-stop swinging, two-stepping, and stage diving the whole way through. Their music is loud, fast, and intense, but this was such a fun set to experience. In the picture to the right is my friend, Kate, caught diving into the crowd by the talented photographer, @southsuburbiaphoto on Instagram.
Giving us a breather, Soul Blind from Long Island, New York came up next. They could be considered a psychedelic grunge band with a hint of punk. They had an interesting mix of slow and fast songs. Even though their music doesn’t exactly urge the crowd to move around as viciously as One Step Closer does, they were still heavily enjoyed as everyone bopped their heads to the rhythm. I actually picked up a piece of merchandise from them at the end of the night: a white cropped tee with “I Heart Soul Blind” written on it (pictured to the right). I also got a free sticker with my purchase that now lives on my laptop case.
Last, but certainly not least, The post-hardcore band, Drug Church from Albany, New York walked on the stage. They recently released an album titled Hygiene, which everyone was excited to hear live. The album cover is depicted to the left and can be found on their Instagram. The minute they began to play, the crowd was jumping and clashing into one another. People were running across the stage and jumping back-first into the crowd, hoping to be caught. People who knew every word rushed to the very front of the room to score a chance at screaming the song into the microphone. The lead singer, Patrick Kindlon, encouraged everyone to keep the crowd surfers up for as long as they wanted and to dive off the stage (as long as they didn’t hit him). I even stage dove for the first time thanks to a friend of mine who grabbed me by the hand and led me onto the stage. I didn’t realize it would be that much fun. Click here to watch!
By the end of the night, we were all sweaty and tired. The freezing cold air felt relieving as we re-entered the streets of Philadelphia from the church’s basement. All of my friends, including myself, had an amazing time and look forward to watching these bands perform again in the future. I highly recommend those who may not be familiar with this genre of music to give it a shot and go see a live show. Whether it be in a local basement or an official venue, it’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.
Review by Lauren Bentivegna
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