Get Drain(ed) and Knocked Loose: A Hardcore Exhibition at Riverworks
Buffalo is no stranger to hardcore. The birth of Buffalo-based metallic-hardcore bands in the 90s set the stage for the genre, and Buffalo is still considered a heavy influence on the genre today. Examples of these bands are Buried Alive, Slugfest, Snapcase, and Every Time I Die. What occurred on Friday, October 5 at Riverworks was a beautiful demonstration of those strong Buffalo roots in hardcore with an interesting turn, thanks to a mixed bill.
The opener for the show was post-hardcore Los Angeles-based Militarie Gun. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch their opening while fighting to find a parking spot. As it turned out, not many were able to catch their set as the majority of people I talked to mentioned that, as soon as the doors opened, they started their set . That’s the hard reality of being a show opener, but it turns out the band was in a rush due to an 8 a.m. unloading time for their next show in New Jersey, so it’s understandable.
Drain was the main band I came to see. Drain is one of the most classic yet refreshing highly-energetic bands in the hardcore scene right now and they surely delivered. Drain is a hardcore band from Santa Cruz, and you can definitely feel it with 80’s LA thrash-influenced riffs. Drain, in my opinion, has the best crowd participation of any band in the genre. Sammy Ciaramitaro, the band’s frontman is the most happy-to-be-here, older brother, golden retriever hardcore frontman you’ll ever see. The way Sammy perfectly throws the mic into the crowd and then jumps in to sing, jumping around on stage, air guitaring solos and riffs while smiling is just the greatest thing. Drain makes you feel like you’re hanging out with them as a part of the show. The setlist really hit hard with popular songs such as ‘Army of One,’ ‘California Cursed’ and closing with their cover of Descendants ‘Good Good Things.’
After Drain came the band The Garden which was the mixed bill of the show. I had never heard of them before this show, so I had no expectations. It’s the wildest combination of music genres I’ve seen. The Garden is also California-based and consists of twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. The twin brothers throw as much cool music at you as possible. What I mean by that is, the first few songs felt kinda like rockabilly hardcore, then they switched to “John Wick fight scene breakcore EDM” stuff, followed by The Prodigy-style hardcore with live bass and drums. Mid-set, one of the brothers did a little aerial gymnastics trick, which was interesting. The Garden definitely drew in most of the younger crowd, which is neat to see. Definitely one of the coolest experimental rock bands I’ve discovered.
Finally, the band everyone came to see: Knocked Loose, and Knocked Loose they surely got. An unfortunate reality of heavy shows like this is that sometimes things get a bit carried away. The show stopped during the third song due to an injured concertgoer. The frontman Bryan Garris did a good job of giving workers lots of time to get everything under control to make sure everyone was safe while not letting the energy die out at the same time. The contrast from Drain’s style of hardcore to Knocked Loose is very interesting. Drain’s style is primarily loose and carefree, hanging and having fun, whereas Knocked Loose is heavily calculated. Knocked Loose plays to click tracks, with predetermined stage movement and poses, intricate stage props, and special effects. Knocked Loose plays like a big band because they are, and you feel it live. There’s a reason why they are at the top of Hardcore. Halfway through the set, Bryan Garris made a cool speech referencing a past show during ‘Tid The Season at Riverworks. He thanked the crowd for being able to go this crazy after all these years in celebrating their new album. Knocked Loose also shouted out Better Lovers and dedicated their song ‘Suffocate to Better Lovers’ as well. Knocked Loose destroyed the night and completely obliterated the place with screeching, screaming breakdowns harder than any you can find. They delivered on the promise of intricately orchestrated chaos.
Each band delivered the intense and energetic experience that makes a hardcore show a hardcore show. Next time any one of these bands comes to Buffalo for a show, it is definitely an experience you won’t want to miss.
