[Portland, OR] The bartenders were not as coked up this time but the security guard at the entrance to the back stage braided his own beard the entire show. There was a mix of ages – there was even a seeming family and a seeming dad miserably accompanying his pre-teen. NiceButAlsoDangerous overheard people in the bathroom discussing Portland’s ‘prolific sticker culture.’ The infinitesimally skinny guitarist with two braids had a t-shirt on that said ‘Only distortion is real.’ Their soundcheck was demonic noises - literally. Their set started with a death drum march. NiceButAlsoDangerous’s ire grew. Super-goth, death growl, rolling bass. Dirge screamo – nice kick drums. Maybe stoner metal. Even though the lead singer is 50s/60s he can still roar. It felt inappropriate to applause between screams. They do maintain a groove but it's mellow is harshed by the screaming. As with the last band, NiceButAlsoDangerous said it was the lead singer ruining the band – he’s not wrong. The armed security guard from the front door came over and started picking at the back stage guard’s beard – weird. I saw a shirt that said something like ‘alpha and omega,’ which was the name of the anarchist podcast I recently listened to. I saw multiple young people with canes and was reminded of why spaces like this, where being an outsider is celebrated, are so important. Their more agro music reminds me of a band I loved at a SXSW, Orange Goblin, and their more mellow dearthy music reminds me of Christian Death, the headliners.
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