Touring in support of their first album in eight years (though they’ve been reunited for awhile), Rhode Island noise rock staples Daughters are set to play Music City for what appears to be the first time in at least a number of years tonight, Feb. 21 at Mercy Lounge with experimental, underground noise rock favorites Wolf Eyes and buzzy, rising Chicago industrial electro-goth duo HIDE. Fans of all things heavy, weird, and experimental will want to make this a priority, and you can still get tickets right here! Read on for more about the show.
DAUGHTERS
The path to Rhode Island noise rock staples Daughters‘ fourth album, last year’s You Won’t Get What You Want, was a long and unlikely one, with prolonged periods in the near-decade prior feeling like Daughters might never make new music again. Born from the ashes of grindcore band As the Sun Sets in 2002, Daughters’ early years were characterized by early buzz in the punk scene, a grindcore and mathy scene which ultimately evolved into a more noise rock bent, and a revolving door of members and inter-band turmoil, ultimately leading to the group’s largely unannounced split a year ahead of their 2010 eponymous third record. A few failed attempts to resurrect the band fizzled out, and other projects became their focus for a few years, before an old label friend and longtime fan tricked singer Alexis Marshall and guitarist Nicholas Andrew Sadler in getting together for dinner, immediately sparking plans for new music and a proper reunion. In the five ensuing year, the band returned to the stage (notably supporting the Dillinger Escape Plan’s farewell run), but despite a few false starts, the life hurdles of children and marriages, and other bands and careers to manage, made the process of crafting their first album in eight years a prolonged one. Won’t Get What You Want more than worth the wait though, universally beloved by critics, and marking a shift to longer songwriting, broader influences from industrial, noise rock, no wave, and art-rock, more thoughtful and focused lyricism, and newfound maturity and worldliness without losing the group’s scathing and intense punk bite. An essential acts for fans of all things heavy, weird, and artsy, Daughters’ latest Music City stop is sure to be one of the coolest shows of the winter!
WOLF EYES
For more than two decades, Detroit’s Wolf Eyes have been a staple of the weirdo, noise rock musical underground, having crafted dozens upon dozens of cult favorite releases, and frequently teaming up with a host of talented collaborators and DIY icons spanning the globe and artistic mediums. Initially formed as a solo project for Nate Young, and currently a duo with John Olson, the bulk of the band’s output over the years has been self-released and self-distributed, though in more recent years, as records have become a bit more focused and comparatively intermittent, they’ve teamed up with some great indie championing labels like Third Man. Known for their highly experimental and improvisational live shows, multi-media endeavors, and mini performance residences, Wolf Eyes are an iconic group to know for any fan of artsy, fiercely independent noise rock, and while they don’t stray into territory as heavy or intense as Daughters, their common sensibilities should more than appeal to the same fans.
HIDE
Not as noise rock rooted as the rest of the bill, Chicago duo HIDE are much more conventionally industrial, electronic, dark wave, and goth, boasting a punk spirit and intense, uninhibited vibe and live show. Made up of Seth Sher and Heather Gabel (a long-time, largely punk-focused graphic designer who was formerly married to and shares a child with Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace), the band came together in 2014, fusing unconventional samples and droning, bass heavy, and jarring electronic elements with raw and aggressive vocals and themes that instantly drew attention in the DIY scene. Soon after, with just an EP in tow, the duo were opening for Marilyn Mason, fueling broader attention and later runs with acts like Alkaline Trio (who Gabel has long worked with) and more. A stunning, political charged 2017 EP, Black Flame, would follow, before last year saw the release of HIDE’s full-length debut, the aggressive, bombastic, and masterful Castration Anxiety. A stellar and inspired pairing, we’d be thrilled to see HIDE alone, and, needless to say, they’re an opening act you seriously don’t want to miss out on.
Daughters, Wolf Eyes, and Hide will perform tonight, Feb. 21 at Mercy Lounge. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $20.
