The show started out with some classic noise from Eidetic End whose sets are always riddled with sudden pauses and blaring feedback. Syl and Nikhil and I rushed to Walgreens to get earplugs in fear of losing our hearing anymore and when we got back the power was out.
It was a blessing in disguise as the power stopped halfway through Crying at Work’s first song and we would’ve missed it and the beginning of there if the power had stayed on. After about an hour of waiting around, Manmoth banded together to play piano and drum on the insulation pipes of the Credit Union basement, forcing everyone to not leave the show just yet. Their set included a Fruitport by Sherri and the Tomatoes cover, twinkling ivory keys, whistling, and spoken word poetry about free music unbound by the restrictions of guitars and drums.
For some reason a bonfire was started outside and we all sat around for a while inside and out until finally the power came back on, greeted by cheers and yells. Soon enough the show was kicking again and ended with 4 back to back killer out of town bands. Crying at Work was a highlight of the night for me; they said they were a newish band from around Detroit and they were so so good!!
Man moth played a second time after the bands played to play what they had originally planned for the night. At that point, it was around midnight and we left before we could see them again. Unfortunately that leaves this show review incomplete but maybe the second manmoth set was in the journey and not the destination; search within your heart and you will find it there.

The highly anticipated cruel summer show started on an unseasonably warm fall equinox and now has passed. Equal parts noise, bands, and barbecue, this is a show I will never miss. Last years cruel summer was the first time I ever saw Levity; Lillian and I went to the show on a whim and walked down a song or two into their set. The PA was quiet, yet the vocals yelled through the wall of sound Levity always promises. Last year was also the first time I ever saw manmoth with their legendary record set. This years cruel summer had a lot to live up to and with it’s stacked lineup it did not disappoint in the least. (Also as a matter of interest I was wearing the same shoes as last year).
The night started off early with two noise acts opening the bill, Internal Creampie and Death Dedication, the latter being one of the most solid noise sets I have heard in a while. Interference Patterns, a band from Indiana played next. They said they started their band when they were 10 and the clear communication between the instruments showcased this. Next was Regression Therapy, a noise staple in the scene. They played a set that sounded and felt like a wrestling match with match bells ringing through to disrupt the attack.
Finally, Levity was up next. I had been waiting for this set since the show was announced in the summer and OH MY GOD it was well worth the wait. It was full of creatively insane basslines, dizzyingly ripping guitar, fresh and textured drums, and the iconic vocals that Levity never misses on. The way Levity plays is like no other; with enough pedals to rival shoe gaze bands and vocals that cycle through even more pedals and noise, their sound is completely different from any of the hardcore the scene is accustomed. My favorite part of the show was when Zach dragged his bass head on the ground in what felt like doomed feedback until the free fall of a breakdown descended to the pit. The set ended with Zach breaking all the strings off his bass and the final pained feedback stung off the guitar. Even the songs that Levity plays as staples sound new each show; it was one of those sets I wish I could live again and again!
Cheap Gas from Dayton, Ohio followed telling tales of a quest for ranch in between catchy grind/metal songs. Still, I am yet to see a band from Ohio I haven’t loved. I bought a mug from them after their set and they gave me a homemade ranch recipe (equal parts mayo and buttermilk with coursely ground black pepper and/or hidden valley ranch mix). Cheap Gas are a really nice and funny band with awesome music that you can find on bandcamp if you missed their show.
The heavily rumored Manmoth set was up next. A week or two before, the rumors began to circle that they would have three different drum sets for the show. When I talked to Terner after the Levity set, he unveiled that not only would there be three drums sets but that him and Monty would be on two drum machines as well. Once all was set and done I think there was four drummers on kits of varying drums and kit styles as well as the two drum machines. Before the noise even started, the set promised to be legendary. Each drummer did their own thing but somehow fit the rhythm of the rest. It went on for about twenty minutes despite Monty’s attempts at stopping it twice and sonically was more than anything I could describe. It was like pure joy for the weird noise freak in me that likes to dance during noise sets and something I am sure we all will be talking about at cruel summers to come.
The last band of the night was Flux Capacitor from Indiana! With high and low screeching vocals, classic hard-hitting drums, and guitar riffs that never miss, Flux Capacitor is everything and more that you could ask for in a grind band. Fast, two piece grind is always my fav and I feel bad for anyone that missed their set.

(p.s. all the sets are on the west mi punk bandcamp)

Walking in there was already buzz surrounding the night’s stacked lineup and it proved to not disappoint.
Targeted opened the show with a set packed with midwest emo math rock songs about planes crashing and sinking. I have heard about the Ryan Gosling infatuated band from Grand Rapids at shows and around the scene. Unfortunately, I was never able to make it out to hear them play until this show changed that. With stringing musicianship and unique songwriting, Tagetes deserve applause.
Niboowin, the second band of the night, brought energy, passion and screamo from Mt Pleasant, Michigan to the coast. Their live show was dynamic and inebriating. I bought a CD of their album that was unreleased at the time of the show; it is packed with guitar fuzz, penetrating and explosive drum hits, head pounding bass, and exceptional screaming vocals. Niboowin is not a band to mess around and they are so worth listening to and supporting.
Zmar, blackened emo hardcore all the way from prague, has been circulating scene conversations since the lineup came out for the show. May 3rd in Muskegon was their first show in America and I am more than grateful they were able to stop in on their way. I got a tape of their most recent album as a sort of memorabilia and the front man was friendly and open. He said that the basement of the credit union was not too different than the venues and shows they play at in Prague. Their set was dark and consuming and something you would not want to have missed. Their album is just as interesting and addicting as the music they played live.
Norfair played last and I believe The Sissy Boys played a secret set, but I was not able to make it down to see it myself sadly. The Art of B was there recording each band and there should be an audio recording out on West Mi Punk soon. If you missed the show or if you were there and just want to revisit the amazing bands that played, these dedications to local music are worth your time!

The 16th of May teetered on the edge of late spring and early summer as mosquitos busied themselves in the air around us and warm weather hung around even once the sun set. The show for the night ran on true punk time with the music starting long after the aforementioned scheduling of 8pm.
When it did start, the crowd filed down the basement steps to be met with a two piece noise band sporting an upright bass and an eclectic drum kit. “Source of Light and Power” and their music is almost completely inexplicable yet completely compelling and absorbing. Their set was extremely percussive and technically advanced. The drummer played a kit with the tom placed where the high tom typically is; he says that that set up forces him to play differently and in new ways. This attitude of experimentation and interest in the music that they are playing comes across in the intricate final performance. The music and performance of Source of Light and Power can be enjoyed by both non-noise enjoyers and noise enjoyers alike and it is a pleasure to see if you ever get the chance!
The next act of the night was “Man.moth”. Man.moth was the initial reason I came to the show and are also the band that first introduced and interested me in noise music. Every member is kind, have a good sense of humor, and are musically talented in their own way. Every set they play is different; whether they are using different gear or a different approach to the same gear, it is always unexpected what the next manmoth set might look like. On May 16 they played an almost ambient, dreamy, and jazzy set with Monty twisting intricate melodies on guitar. Terner used an omnichord as well as a sound board to add a droaning back drop, and Dylan added rhythm and structure with intrinsically placed drums. Man.moth is always noisy and will always be one of my favorite bands to see play.
The last set was the much anticipated Jack Wright. From what I heard around the venue, the saxophone player is considered a legend in his circles and among the noise community in the area. His playing is abrasive, skilled, uncomfortable and forces you to digest it in its entirety. I was fighting off a bacterial infection at the time of the show and was mostly in pain and ill at ease near the end of the night for his set. Oddly enough, this seemed to add to my total understanding of the music he played and allowed me to come to it with a different perspective. I guess I am trying to say Jack Wright’s performance was transcendent in this way and can be interpreted in as many ways as there are people to listen and interpret it.
The youtube channel “Impact Media1” has video recordings of every set from that night in case you missed it! If you are half the noise nerd I am, I would feel sorry if you did.