In a gradient display of American punk rock, crowds saw an absolutely riveting ,three-act performance December 3rd at The Broadberry. Energies were so high within the sold-out venue, members of the audience embodied the music of Culture Abuse, Tigers Jaw and The Mezingers, respectively, with highly animated mosh pits, invigorated fist pumps and spirited head bangs.
Culture Abuse, a five-piece band with origins in San Francisco, did the deed in engaging the venue with songs that read like letters. The band’s lyricism brimmed with universal lessons about the trials that come with life, captivating the audience with alternating perspectives and hard beats. Along with the vocal and instrumental sonics of the band, the personality and liveliness of vocalist David Kelling, captured the listeners with his unfiltered amicability. Culture Abuse blended genre-defining traits of synth, alt punk and heavy metal with impassioned vocals and dictatorial instrumentals to jumpstart the performances to follow.
Engaging with emotionally-driven lyrics and an interweaving of harmonies, by the means of Scranton, PA, came Tigers Jaw. This Pennsylvania band is defined by the talents of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins, both integrating their vocals into finely-laid, boundy, musical arrangements. The pair’s vocals gently complimented each other while their accompanied band executed uplifting, anthemically charged tunes. Tigers Jaw interwove somber arrangements and soft keyboarding with uplifting guitar riffs and energetically acoustic vocals into a sonic quilt of self-exposé-like songs. The pair ended their set with a defiant stand, unifying their audience in shared loneliness.
After heightened anticipation and a few more mosh pits, The Menzingers came on to close a rightfully amped punk show. A band that has withstood the test of time, The Menzingers began in 2006 in the same place that generated Tigers Jaw – Scranton, Pennsylvania. With Greg Barnett and Tom May bouncing off of each other’s vocals, the band represented a firm narrative of open solidarity. The band electrically amplified all those within The Broadberry by employing characteristics of emotionally daring lyrics and an overlay of screamo-infused sonics.
An American punk rock show in every sense of the word, the three bands left, having amped up the entire, sold-out venue, to a tangible degree. Make sure to get tickets for The Broadberry’s next show to feel the insurmountable perceptibility of music.
Words by Anna Menendez