top 5 punk shows that made me feel like I’d be ok in 2024

There’s some foundational wiring from my teenage years around seeing rock bands in small rooms—how the bass drum reverberating in my chest physically altered how I felt. A good punk show is how I’m guessing other people feel about church or sports. It’s a space for community, an opportunity to be washed in a potentially life-expanding experience, and sometimes, you can drink there.

There was this period in the late summer when I eased back from three different SSRIs to one, and during this time, I was seeing one or two shows per week. I joked about how maybe I could just replace meds with punk shows, but I really do think being at Unlawful Assembly’s hardcore fest in Milwaukee when I was in a state of chemical upheaval was crucial—to feel pummeled by sound for hours in a row. 

I’ve never consulted a professional about that feeling, but I guess it’s the same logic that explains why people love rollercoasters or cold plunges or skydiving or whatever—it feels unbelievable to have your breath taken away. Escapism seems like the wrong word, because you’re in a room with friends and acquaintances. At a show, I always have this deep physical self-awareness. It’s a warmth that just radiates, a big stupid grin that I can’t shake, that deep buzz ricocheting inside my organs. It’s a feeling I carry with me for hours afterward. I can’t use words like endorphins or dopamine because I’m not smart enough to know what I’m talking about, but it’s probably that stuff.

In 2024, I went to more shows than any other year in my life. I genuinely think it helped. These are the top five sets that lifted me up and evened me out this year.

1. 208 at Outer Limits Lounge in Hamtramck, Michigan on July 27 (Strohdown)

Months earlier, I’d met Kyle and Shelby on a much colder night for an interview out behind Outer Limits. They were so kind. Watching them live was a flipped switch, this relentless blues rock bludgeoning with Shelby deadpan in sunglasses while Kyle—barefoot, eyes rolled back in his head, tongue dangling out of his mouth—was taken by the devil. It’s everything I loved about their Possession EP manifest in the most intense and physical set I’d seen all year. Afterward Kyle came over and said hello, a broad warm smile on his face. His finger was bleeding profusely because he ended the set by ripping the strings off his guitar the hard way. Shelby mentioned that he’s always bleeding after they play.

2. Cicada at Cactus Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 21 (Unlawful Assembly Vol. 4)

“Now let’s get back to that real shit,” somebody shouted during a quiet moment after Fugitive Bubble’s set. I felt defensive because that set was excellent, but that person was just saying the quiet part out loud—the band’s groove-forward art punk is uncompromising and unparalleled, but due to the hardcore festival weekend’s overall intensity, it was a rare lull for the pit. In hindsight, their nuance led to the boiling point that was Cicada’s set. It was that rare thing where the entire crowd became a single moving organism, the current of people in the back swaying to accommodate the uncontainable pit at the front. Bodies flew unceasingly while the Richmond band exerted their control over this very game crowd. Up to this point, I’d had a difficult time choosing a favorite set of the weekend, and then suddenly, this was the one.

3. Day Residue at Third Man Records in Detroit, Michigan on July 23

When I bought a ticket to see Snooper at Third Man Detroit, I hadn’t realized Day Residue were on the bill. This was a classic case of a hometown opening band absolutely smoking the touring headliner. Snooper are great! No disrespect! Still, the two bands’ energies stood in contrast. Compared to the elaborately choreographed and staged headlining show, Day Residue created this dark, chaotic sprawl. It was intense and absolutely mesmerizing and could’ve gone on for an extra hour. I swear I’m not trying to shit on Snooper with this blurb, they just happened to follow an all-timer phenomenal live show.

4. The Spits at Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 28 (Extreme Noise 30th Anniversary Show)

Sometimes the best set is the one that makes you laugh nearly the entire time; it’s how I felt at a Neo Neos show to start the year. Part of the joy from the Spits show was the running bit (acting like it was their last song for like seven consecutive songs), but they’re also an unstoppable live band. Accompanied by Benni, this show amplified everything I love about their records while underlining just how good the actual songs are. By this point I was already riding high from some excellent sets by Texture Freq, Kapital, and Bermuda Squares, plus the pleasure of seeing Urinals. But this was just a relentless melodic buzzsaw, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

5. Slut Intent at Seward Café in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 2

Buio Omega booked a birthday show for themselves featuring only very good hardcore bands, and the one that knocked me on my ass was Slut Intent. I remember walking the entire perimeter of Seward Café’s patio, wanting to experience this from every vantage point. Logan Chelmo documented this one, so give it a watch below.

These were also great: COFFER and Leather Uppers at Hamtramck’s Outer Limits Lounge; Cruelster and Piss Me Off at Cincinnati’s Feel It Records; Kaleidoscope, No Knock, Public Acid, Fugitive Bubble, Invertebrates, Alienator, Necron 9, and Total Con at Milwaukee’s Unlawful Assembly Vol. 4; Buio Omega, Makin’ Out, and Marked Men at Minneapolis’ Cloudland Theater; Snooper at Third Man Detroit; Stress Positions, Bootcamp, Step Sister, and Buio Omega at Minneapolis’ Seward Café; Panel, Joust, the Slow Death, and Laugh Track at Minneapolis’ Eagles No. 34; Neo Neos and Spit Takes at Minneapolis’ Cloudland Theater; Ira Glass at Eau Claire’s Masonic Temple; Bermuda Squares, Texture Freq, and Kapital at Minneapolis’ Cedar Cultural Center; Meditation, Visual Learner, and Hot Pursuit at Minneapolis’ Disgraceland; The Hentchmen at Ann Arbor’s Heidelberg (basement); Citric Dummies and Jack White at Minneapolis’ First Avenue