I Just Wanna Feel It, Not Delete It

It had been eight days since my last concert due to being ridiculously sick. My longest stretch without a show since the pandemic. I was dying. I was stressed, anxious, depressed– I needed a show, and I honestly didn’t care what show it was, I just needed to feel the energy of a live show to help get me back on track and get my head on right again. Thankfully for me, there was a heck of a show happening at Zhora Darling. To say it was just what the doctor ordered would be an understatement. Let’s just jump right in because, truthfully, there’s so much to say about Tuesday night.

I don’t even know where to start with opening act Pat and the Pissers other than… holy freaking crap. This Indianapolis DIY-punk leaning rock band may have been the first to take the stage on Tuesday night, but they absolutely treated their set like they were the headliners of the night. Their music was as quirky as it was tight. Glittery lines of guitar notes floated over heavy-hitting drums as the vocals seemed to be doing their own thing, yet fit into the whole cacophony of sound so perfectly. Many band names came to mind as far as who I could compare this band to, but, truthfully, if I rattled off all of my notes to you, you would think I’m insane because those names ranged from At The Drive In to Vampire Weekend. All I can say is that they had this grit and swagger to their music and seemed to be restrained by zero genre lines. Some moments had a definite groove to them, followed by seconds of pure chaos, all followed up by a super accessible indie rock vibe. It was all over the place and was the perfect roller coaster ride of a set.

Beyond their sound was their live performance. This was the kind of set that I live for. They didn’t hold back and, from the second they hit the stage and until the very end, they were giving the audience everything they had. This was truly a band that had everything to prove, nothing to lose, and they proved it all. From jumps to crowd interaction (which included vocalist Alex Beckman twirling some lucky individuals around like they were ballerinas), it felt as if this band was in a fight for their lives and they were winning. It was clear that the audience was trying to warm up to the idea of this band, but Pat and the Pissers didn’t give them a choice. They got in your face if not physically, then sonically, and made you an instant fan. Pat and the Pissers will absolutely end up in my top sets of the year after what they pulled off on Tuesday night, and I truly hope they come to town again soon because this is a can’t miss kind of band.

My introduction to the next band, Lip Critic, was at this same venue a couple of months ago. It was in February when they were opening for Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol. I became obsessed with this group that night, so I was so excited that this New York-based band was back because now I knew what to prepare for, and that is sheer and perfect chaos. Although I felt more prepared on Tuesday night, when the band hit into their set, they blew me back on my feet in a way. The power that this group can bring to a stage is insane, and I’m not just saying that because they feature two drummers that are perfectly in sync, creating a truly booming sound. Add in the extreme noise that comes from the table covered in electronic doodads that I will never learn or know the words for (please don’t judge me, just being honest), and the chaotic vocals, and you are left with a set that is impossible to ignore. Their performance was frenetic in a way, but in another way, it felt so perfectly curated. Sure, it sounded like chaos, but the members of this band know damn well what they are doing, and they did it with a sense of restraint and talent that is truly insane to see unfold. Add in a few jumps here, a few threatening looks from the drummers as they took breaks when they could and eyed the crowd up and down, and you were left with an explosive set that left me truly speechless.

I’ve only ever heard stories about the headlining act, MSPaint. Not only has their name caught my eye in the past, but hearing people talk about the severity and intimidation that comes from their live sets was something that I just had to experience for myself, so I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they set up on the Zhora Darling stage on Tuesday night. The crowd inched closer and closer to the stage in a way that told me they knew what was about to happen. This made my heart skip a beat because, truthfully, outside of the rumors I had heard, I knew nothing about this band and had no clue what was coming. That’s when it happened. The house music went off, the house lights darkened, and I was welcomed into the world of MSPaint.

This group lived up to my expectations and then some. Although I’ll be honest, Pat and the Pissers had absolutely stolen this show for me, I found a thrill in the intensity and almost intimidation that I felt from MSPaint. The vocalist of this Mississippi-bred group spent the entire set stalking the stage. It wasn’t just the fact that they were pacing back and forth that gave me chills; it was the way that they were doing it with such a sense of force and surprise. You didn’t know when, or even if, they would do a jump or anything like that, but you knew that you couldn’t look away. The rest of the band wasn’t as dynamic to watch as the vocalist, but they refused to be ignored as they played through their unique, guitarless hardcore meets electronic meets punk sound. Like the previous two acts of the night, MSPaint is a band that refuses to be put into just one box when it comes to genres. They were all over the place with a wild ride through different vibes and feelings, but one thing remained constant: the undeniable energy that they had brought to the room.