Review & photo by Andrew Bansal
March 10th 2015, Los Globos, Los Angeles CA: To mark the release of their third full-length studio album ‘Beneath California’ which came out on February 10th via Epitaph Records, Southern California hardcore punk band Retox embarked on a five-week US headline tour with Atlanta GA sludge trio Whores as main support, and arrived home in Los Angeles for the final show of the tour at Los Globos, put together by promoters Thee Static Age and also featuring local openers To The Point and Nomads. Taking place in the downstairs concert hall of the venue, the show drew an appreciable turnout on a Tuesday, and treated attendees to an interestingly diverse evening of heavy music.
Doors opened at 8:15 and the show began at 8:45 with a short and intense set by Nomads, providing the ideal warm-up for the acts to follow. With breakneck fast straightforward hardcore punk and slower, heavier segments, specially in the new song they played, they exhibited good variety in their brand of auditory annihilation, and hilariously awkward silences between songs aside, they got a positive response from the audience. Nomads get on a lot of the hardore punk shows coming through town, and invariably prove themselves as worthy openers. This occasion was no different and they put forth a very solid set.
The second local opening act To The Point hit the stage next, and even though musically they were repetitive and not as compelling as Nomads in my opinion, they garnered a livelier response as they induced some circle pits on the floor and seemed to be right up the alley for the Retox fans that had turned up for this show, hence coming across as a good inclusion in the lineup by the local promoters.
Promptly at their scheduled start time of 10 PM, Atlanta, Georgia’s sludge trio Whores hit the stage to bombard the audience with a sonic avalanche of sorts, turning out to be the heaviest band of the evening by quite some margin. It comes as a real surprise to see the, categorized as ‘noise rock’ on various online portals because their sound and style was the opposite of noise. The expertise of these musicians was evident from the exemplary tonality of all their instruments, as they were able to capture the highs, mids and lows of their sounds even at ear-shatteringly loud volumes. In simple terms, they could be described as a heavier Helmet. They were by no means an easy fit on this hardcore punk show and hence the audience’s reaction was largely subdued, but those in the crowd open-minded towards diversity were instantly impressed by Whores. They implemented their crushing heavy jams with sonic perfection and tons of energy, and for many, put on the best performance of the night. Whores’ first ever LA gig was undoubtedly an overwhelming success and should pave the way for several more at regular intervals in the years to come.
It was going to be tough act to follow after that monstrous Whores set, but Retox had the support of their home crowd in front of them and unbridled energy flowing through their veins, the combination of which ensured a solid, lively 30-minute set from them, leveling the floor as circle pits broke out full tilt and several of the participants hit the ground often. The chaotic element that dominates Retox’ ‘Beneath California’ album was well-represented through this set, and their fans were in good voice. Even though musically quite opposite to Whores in more ways than not, they used tones and effects in an interesting manner to create variations, just like Whores did. An apt tour-ending show, in an ideal setting at Los Globos.
For full video coverage of the show, check out Arturo Gallegos’ YouTube channel.