02/26/2023 - CENӦBITE, TACITURN, TOOTHACHE, FLOWERS @ THE HIVE

Once again I find it hard to start these. I'll sit on it for a few days while it festers, spend a few hours with this webpage open and try to find the right music (I never do). Today, in the middle of this sentence, I landed on Down Colorful Hill by Red House Painters. It seemed fitting for the being-snowed-in. Nonetheless, I am not the center of this piece.

cool photos courtesy of @ballroom.dog on Instagram.

This show was probably my favorite of the year so far (granted this is was probably the fifth I've been to including my own). There was such a cohesive and badass mix of bands that just absolutely destroyed any preconceived expectations with flying colors of experimentation and, quite honestly, love and support. The night before having been a much more diverse set of bands and genres, it was relieving to some extent to have a more aesthetically-cohesive lineup of groups whose genres, while not all the same, blended together for a beautiful evening of noise.

photos for show posters stolen from bands' respective Instagrams

I came early and was met with more familiar faces than I'd expected. Two friends from a screenwriting class, Max from Cenöbite, and another friend I had been meeting at pretty much any and all Toothache shows I could make it to. I watched in the slowly crowding room as the first band piled in their equipment. On the stage was an arsenal of pedalboards ready for attack--like the control room of a space ship. Cheyenne noted that two of the complete pedalboards belonged to the band's guitarist, Marshall. Of course that idea made a lot of sense and I knew it was possible, but still seeing it here in Flagstaff blew my mind.

shitty photos courtesy of me.

flowers took the stage with irrevocable presence and an ocean of sound. During their first song, though, a string broke on Marshall's guitar. Cheyenne jumped up with hers to the rescue. Later on during Toothache's set, Marshall came to her aid with his amp. It's so sweet to me how kind and supportive this scene is. Yes, it is one thing to make good music and perform well, but to be good people and go out of your way to help others is a whole other thing.

I was entirely underprepared for a real blackgaze group to be stationed in Flagstaff of all places. If I have proved anything in my three measly blog posts, it's that I love shoegaze. And man, did these guys deliver. They prefaced their set with a disclaimer about the volume and instructed anyone who wanted to to get ear plugs from their merch stand. They know how to blow out an entire room with seemingly endless soundscapes--every moment intercut with devastating melodies made whole by Marshall and Joe's atmospheric, distortion-fucked guitar passages.

Their vocal parts together reminded me slightly of Sadness--the musical artist as well (lol). The dichotomy between Joe's monotonously dreamy vocals and Marshall's agonizing, throat-ripping screams blended together as much as those voices themselves blended into the rest of their tunes. Killian's rhythm-perfect drum parts coupled with Cyam's powerful bass were the right ingredients to pepper along in a vomit of noise, hate, love and everything in between. Stream their album, i wish we were.

The next band, one I'm always excited to see, was Toothache. Maybe it's only because flowers was just on, but I noticed for the first time what a minimalist setup they had going. It's perfect for their sound--take the necessities and strip even them bare to release that same core in their music, the vital and exposed emotions put on display. They started their set with a birthday request and aggressive precision above a new wave of punky-shoegaze sound.

I was about to write about how a specific song was my favorite, but honestly I couldn't decide between all of them. 4chan boasts Kiva's loud and pushy drums right in your face, while Leg Squeezer shows off Cheyenne's creamy and groovy guitar tone and Brighton's emotional vocal range. I'm not sure if this will make sense to anyone but I wrote that creamy guitar with chorus tomato soup sound. So, yeah. Their last song, " Yankee Dolly, has to be their most dynamic and powerful song yet, though. It's creative, different, bombastic and is a perfect example of each member's strengths. I'm not surprised that the crowd basically begged for an encore.

I read something recently about how shoegaze is the definitive sound of giving up, resorting to reservation and backing away--allowing the distortion to wash over you, basically. I was going to write about how that's true. We're all quitters. But honestly, that's not fucking true? There's no way you could say anything that definitive. Shoegaze, metal, punk, underground music in general is the music of experimentation, power, emotion, limitlessness and assertion. I hope I can prove that, and show everyone the leaders in this corner of the world's interests, in our corner of the world.

Speaking of definitions, I was appalled that Taciturn considered themselves punk. They are diverse and unlike any other music I've heard. In an abrasive battle of jangling, feedback-drenched guitar and controlled noise, they were far closer to the heavier sides of post-rock. Certain songs reminded me of Daughters and others like Swans, still outlined by poppier and more structured passages--all led by Natasha's beautiful and fitting vocals, and ambient pillows of guitar washes between. They are far beyond just punk.

In every song, they proved that they can punch you right when you least expect it--using black metal blasts from hell and Nyle's screeching guitar noise-solos. Still, the entire performance felt like a complete work of art on its own--a complete album. They were such a new, boundary-pushing and refreshing performance that I was smiling ear to ear. After their first song--filled with guttural, hateful yet fun and experimental gifts, I turned back toward and Brighton and said these guys fucking rock. Nate's tight and concise drum passages tied a neat little bow around the whole performance--leaving nothing but the smell of fog machines and the sound of static feedback.

There's something about their performance that I've been thinking about a lot, especially in relation to other works. The idea of negative space in music or performance is always interesting to me--and Taciturn used it well. Every pause and moment of quiet felt personal and deliberate--they weren't using distortion to cover anything, they were using it to make a point and drive it home, hard. Stream their newest EP, Roach right now.

I've talked to Cenöbite's guitarist, Max, a few times over Instagram about jamming some GY!BE-style stuff. So, having heard virtually none of Cenöbite's music, I was thoroughly surprised. It hit me when I saw Brady's massive bass amp barely able to fit on stage. Max had to turn his amp on its side just so that there was room. Of course, I was right. They absolutely destroyed the venue with anguished vocals, chunky guitar tones and an insane energy.

They were a hardcore and energetic end to the night. In their devastating and passionate beats in short but dynamic song-packages, they pull away from the music and us closer. They knew so well that the right amount of musical restraint let's the hits hit harder. Love had an unmatched angry and resentful energy--punching over the sounds of stomach-turning bass feedback and inventive guitar passages. Every song was full of genre-fusion and tight, well-rehearsed rhythm led by the fantastic Zander. Cenöbite is Phoenix's key breakneck punky-fusion band. Stream The See Through Glove.

So, it took me a while to write this one--I'm sorry about that. I was really excited after seeing this lineup, and I wanted to do them justice if at all possible. Thanks for all the support on this blog so far. I'm really looking forward to growing with this scene, and getting this out there for as many people to see--spread the news of these shows, acts and good people. Please comment on any of these, email me or DM me on Instagram if you have anything to say, music to show/talk about, shows to tell me about.

- Foster

See Toothache at the Hive again with Dead Bugh and Closet Goth very soon (Next show TBA).