After months of recording sessions with shows being few and far between, local Atlanta Band, Upchuck, completed their long awaited new music in the form of an EP, simply titled “Upchuck EP.” To commemorate this record, they hosted their first headlining show at a venue called “The Hanger”. It’s a venue in its infancy with this show being only the second one at this location. It was the prefect venue for this event because it was extremely open and spacious due to it previously being an ammunition's hanger (hence the name). The set-list for the show included Kent Osborne, EAT, Rude Dude & the Creekfreaks and lastly Upchuck.
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During the first set, there were a considerable amount of people in the room but there was still plenty of room to breathe. Kent Osborne’s set was a mixture of Trap and Metal. He was accompanied by a live drummer and DJ. Throughout the set, he removed various articles of clothing and danced as if he were conducting spiritual bloodletting of sorts, as if he were releasing all of his frustration and anguish onto the floor. His vocals sounded as if they came from pit of his soul out into the mic. He directly interacted with nearly ever audience member in the front of crowd and they loved it. I would definitely recommend anyone to go to a show if he is on the line up; everyone should take the opportunity to see him in the flesh.
Kent's set was a mixture or genres whereas EAT's was more Punk. The Vocalist of EAT, Efron Danzig, also got up close and personal with the crowd. They would walk up to someone and look them directly in their eyes for some time, then slowly start to dance; increasing from a slight shoulder bounce to an intense full-body movement. Their dancing was almost the complete opposite to Kent's. They moved in a sporadic, chaotic, and at times hypnotizing manner, like he were getting possessed on stage. EAT's set was loud, raw, and varied. Some of their songs lasted for the typical length of a contemporary track while others were surprisingly short. The unpredictable nature of their set kept the audience on their toes. If they ever come back to Atlanta for a show, or if you're ever in Philadelphia, you have to see them perform live. And if you do: let go, fall deep into the music and maybe dance a little with Efron when they approach you.
Rude Dude’s music could be classified as garage punk and psychedelic rock. Similar to Kent Osborne’s music, there was an electronic factor included whereas EAT and Upchuck had no synths or beats of any sort, the only electronic factors being their guitars. Their set was more light and upbeat compared to the previous two acts, yet audience members were still running around and punching each other in the face. It was a mesmerizing juxtaposition to witness. At this point, the venue was significantly more crowded, so you could barely see the band, only catching glimpses of them here and there. Due to this, they couldn't be as interactive, but they still put on a great show regardless. Again, if you are ever able to see them live, you should! Whether it be at a lowkey show or a more charged event such as this one.
Immediately once Rude Dude finished, Upchuck began to set up and the room got filled completely to capacity. There was virtually no room to move around, even on the stairs (where I was). It was so packed that the band themselves could barely remain on the floor and eventually had to stand on top of amps and such. During the sound check, before anything had even begun yet, people started to mosh. And when they actually started to play music, all hell broke loose and the venue erupted into complete chaos: there was a shopping cart in the pit, people climbed on the stairwell just to jump off it, the vocalist (KT) began bleeding during the set and rubbed the blood all over her face and chest, audience members demolished a stuffed T-Rex head with their bare hands, people crowd-surfed constantly, girls were dancing on top of kitchen appliances, beer was flying through the air (literally, a little bit somehow flew into my mouth at one point), one guy tore his shirt open then consulted a friend to complete the task and the police arrived.
Towards end, all of Rude Dude set up beside Upchuck and they played an improvised song with both bands and ended with a cover of the song “Wave Goodbye” By Ty Segall. Afterwards, everyone cheered and caught their breaths. There were empty beer cans littering every square inch of the floor, so the venue holders swiftly escorted majority of the audience outside to restore some semblance of order from the dysfunctional aftermath. It’s hard to tell how long the Upchuck set, let alone the show as a whole, really was because it seemed to last forever. Their set could've been anywhere from 30 minutes to about 50. This was one of the most dynamic live shows I have been to in a long time. All of the bands were amazing and I would definitely watch them again. It was truly an immersive and worthwhile experience.
Music by all of the aforementioned bands can be found on Bandcamp, give them a listen! Direct links are provided below:
And to view the full photo album, click here.
