I’ve been looking for a SHARP punk band around here for a while. I see the community around, and I know they make their way out to shows, so I knew there had to be some representation at least in the scene, but it can be a little difficult to track down, especially if the bands themselves don’t outwardly identify or exclaim themselves as such. So I was pretty happy when I came across this band at a local show and even happier when I had a listen to their recordings after the fact.
Based out of Spokane, so far, these guys have two EPs out: Class War of ‘24 from 2024 and their self-titled from last year; they’re both decent listens.
They’ve got the energy you want from a street punk outfit; it’s punchy, it isn’t clean, and it is as politically charged as you’d expect from a skinhead-adjacent band who drape anti-nazi banners across their stage.
One thing I noticed is how tight they are with their performances live. There’s not a lot of difference in sound or production when compared to their studio recordings, which is out of the norm for a lot of the bands around here, though that’s not a bad thing.
Personally, some of the tracks can get a little repetitive in sound, but that’s less of an issue with them and more so my own issue with the genre as a whole. But when it kicks hard, it kicks hard. The two standouts for me were Class War and Hearts and Minds; they’re lyrically poignant but maintain a lot of momentum, which I can appreciate.
I personally am a little confused about their use of AI on their website, as a street punk band and being as politically charged as they are, but that’s another conversation.
Though the productions and the performance maintained the same quality, the audience really provided the environment. Punk bands are always better when you’ve got people with fervor knocking heads around in the pit, so try and catch them down by the Black Lodge or out in Spokane if you can.