To quote Colin Young–whose band Twitching Tongues played their first NYC show in many years at Brooklyn Monarch last night (10/1)–the “Scowl, Militarie Gun, MSPAINT tour package is one that people will look back at years from now in awe.” At the risk of sounding too hyperbolic, it really did feel like one of those new-generation-in-the-making shows when I caught the tour at Brooklyn’s Meadows on Friday night (9/29). First of two sold-out NYC shows, with a three-band lineup entirely made up of bands who began leaving their mark over the past couple years. And, crucially, all of them sounded different yet had so much in common.
The whole bill is made up of bands who come from and exist within the hardcore scene, with music that has wide appeal outside of the hardcore scene too, and that’s especially true for MSPAINT, who have found a strong support system in the hardcore community despite never really setting out to be a hardcore band. They’re a weirdo, synth-fueled art punk band, and they make a shit ton of noise, even without a guitarist. Singer Deedee is a total force as he stomps his way around the stage and bounces between yelling, yell-singing, and sorta-rapping. The room was still filling up while they were playing–possibly due to the raining and flooding that wreaked havoc on NYC that day–but a good chunk of people had clearly made sure to get there on time for MSPAINT, and they gave all that energy right back to them.
The place filled up more by the time Militarie Gun went on, and Ian Shelton encouraged everyone to pack it in right up to the stage, not that he needed to ask. Once the band kicked into show-opener “Do It Faster,” it was all jumping up and down, raised fists, and stage dives, which continued throughout the whole set. They were with guitarist Nick Cogan (also of Drug Church), who’s often replaced by a fill-in on tour, and Nick brings just about as much power and charisma to the bands he’s in as the person yelling the words and whipping the crowd up into a frenzy. MG projected animated images of their band name and new album title Life Under The Gun behind them, adding some digitized flair to the venue’s brick walls, and they ran through a great selection of fan faves from that album, the All Roads Lead to the Gun EPs, and non-album single “Pressure Cooker,” without a single lull in the set. My only complaint: I really hoped MG and MSPAINT would play one or both of their collab songs.
Scowl wrapped things up, also with their vivid logo projected on the bricks behind them, and they went out with a bang. Great tour packages like these often feel very egalitarian and reject the hierarchal nature of headliner/opener dynamics, and this was no exception, but Scowl did in many ways feel like the clear headliner. The pit opened up for them in a way bigger way than it did for any other band on the bill, and the clean-vocal songs from their recent Psychic Dance Routine induced massive singalongs in a way that I never saw when Scowl was in town opening for other bands. They also toned things down a bit for the clean-sung “Seeds to Sow” from 2021’s Seeds to Sow, which they’ve been starting to play more often, and that was a treat too. I’m really curious to see where Scowl go next, but right now they’re at a very cool place, where they’ve got the alt-rock songs and the fast-paced hardcore songs riling up the crowd in two entirely different ways.
The tour hit Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus the next night (9/30), and it continues throughout October, wrapping up at 924 Gilman on 10/21. The Meadows show was opened by Long Island post-hardcore/emo band Somerset Thrower, whose Long Island pals On The Might of Princes were playing a reunion/anniversary show right next door at Monarch that night, and they met up with OTMOP for a LI show the next night.
More pictures from The Meadows by Amanda Hatfield below…
scowl pic.twitter.com/hUdaSmIZFV
— Andrew Sacher (@andrewdsacher) September 30, 2023
i’ve been feeling pretty down, so i get very high pic.twitter.com/TgWbqdcC2r
— Andrew Sacher (@andrewdsacher) September 30, 2023
Setlists via Setlist.fm, technically from other nights of the tour but I believe they were the same at The Meadows…
Scowl Setlist
Bloodhound
Shot Down
Fuck Around
Dead to Me
Psychic Dance Routine
Wired
Petty Selfish Cretin
Trophy Hunter
Seeds to Sow
Retail Hell
Idle Roaring Room
Roots
Four Walls
My Turn 2 Play
Sold Out
Opening Night
Militarie Gun Setlist
Do It Faster
Let Me Be Normal
Will Logic
Pressure Cooker (Militarie Gun/Dazy song)
My Friends are Having a Hard Time
Think Less
Don’t Pick Up the Phone
Disposable Plastic Trash
Seizure of Assets
Very High
Never Fucked Up Once
Ain’t No Flowers
Big Disappointment