It was one monotonous, uneventful, catatonic Friday afternoon. But something was different. What really loomed over me was the fact that I was going to a Bullet For My Valentine concert the next day, which was what I was looking forward to for weeks and made the daily grind seem like it meant something. Emotionally, I was a wreck. After outgrowing the only close friendship I had a few months earlier, I was in a depressed, empty, soul-crushed state. I wanted to create change, and fast, but all my attempts were in vain. They amounted to self-sabotage. I had this image in my head of the concert the next day being the day which would change everything. It's an odyssey of its own, but let's just say I didn't end up with what I wanted and was used, betrayed and forsaken.
What this meant was that this gig was going to be the opening act—the warmup for the next day. The idea in my head that I was going to spend gigs alone and that people at gigs aren't viable options to socialise with or worth socialising with had become like a personal ideology at that point. A lot of people in the alternative scene have problems of their own and suppressed trauma and from experience if you don't know how to interact with those people and deal with their behaviour and to put it bluntly, tendency to stir drama or engage in it (people love drama) you're not going to have a good time. I was at a dilemma—either I could try socialising with people who don't share the same values as me and are usually older, or continue to spend gigs alone. Ultimately, the latter ended up being the path of least resistance.
At gigs, people usually attend in groups known as 'cliques'. Often, unless you have someone in the clique 'invite' you in or you act in a particular way that lends yourself to gaining positive attention from those people, you aren't going to have a chance at socialising. Maybe this isn't the case, but from experience from being in the scene longer than many popular people in it, this is the way I perceive things. I suppose part of it is my personal narrative and ego speaking, but I think a lot of people can testify to this being the way gigs are. To quote somebody, 'gigs are not the place to socialise. Gigs are the place to experience music'.
Well, it's ironic when you consider the amount of people who sit outside venues doing delinquent, illegal activities causing trouble for both the gig organisers and gig attendees. I think a better definition is that gigs are a place for music to be played, and since music is inherently a way to facilitate connection, gigs are also a place to socialise, though unfortunately due to the way social cliques work that is pretty hard unless you dress, look and act a particular way and conform to the alternative scene's standards of 'cool'. I don't hate the people who do what they do at gigs. They come from rough backgrounds and sitting outside gigs doing what they do provides a sense of community—a very flawed one at best—but a community nonetheless. As a person who has borne witness to what they do, I believe that community encourages destructive tendencies and bluntly they need to find a better place to do what they do rather than being a pain in the ass for people who enjoy music. I also think that what gig organisers like DeadTrigger Records are taking a good approach by having more people helping to organise gigs thus making it easier to ensure no carnage happens. I think you can't talk about gigs without addressing their gritty edges and the nature of the people there.
Regarding how I felt, I attended the gig just for the hell of it. It was free, all ages, and not far away, and it may as well serve as good content for this zine. I stood near the back as I waited for the first band to begin.
The first band to play were Broken Milk Crates—a self-described 'midwest emo' band. They had facepaint on their faces and a very 'indie rock' setup and demeanour. They had a two guitarist, one drummer setup, with one guitarist playing a goldtop Les Paul, and the other playing this fancy non-popular brand guitar (though he switched to a Fender Mustang bass for some songs), and the drummer using the kit which happened to be provided—a cheap SX drum kit.
Production was minimal though good for a small backyard gig. The drumkit was not mic'ed up, the guitars were plugged straight into their respective amps, and the vocals were run using SM57s into a JBL PA. Lighting consisted of a COLORband FXX M set to the colour blue and a projector which played background content from YouTube behind the band (intercut with various trademark YouTube ads).
Acoustics were decent with clear sound though a noticeable lack of soundstage. The mixing was respectable with the instruments at about the right volume though a bit muddy due to a lack of professional EQ. There was a sound guy who managed the EQ and mixing, which probably helped, generally good sound for a DIY gig.
Broken Milk Crates had a jam band, single coil, effervescent sound. Very jangly, with the contrast between the bendy lead guitar and drum-like humbucker rhythm guitar being quite outgoing, alternating between indie pop dainty parts to pseudo-thrash Sonic Youth style wall of noise attacks—much in the manner of My Bloody Valentine. The drummer played mostly with the same kick, snare, hi hat pattern that every local alternative band uses, though he did add some variety with some crash and ride hits during the more high energy parts of their set. A song which really epitomised their sound was 'The Boulder'. They had a unique sound that was more laid back, grainy and film-like.
Their music can best be described as for your local dive bar, 'alt kid' type of crowd who happens to be at bars to drink and have some live music playing, or who goes to gigs with their friends occasionally. Their sound didn't have the cerebral edge of psychedelic rock epitomised by circa-1967 Pink Floyd at the UFO club. Broken Milk Crates had a more reflective, nostalgic, introspective type of sound, with stoner rock edges. The vocals were low in the mix and their music sounds like music that is meant to be enjoyed as part of a hangout or something and not the main show, basically like rainy day, chill, easy going music meant for a crowd that wants to sway and hold hands and kiss at the end rather than mosh and let thy inner angst out or get totally lost and become one as you become catatonic like in more traditional shoegaze, psychedelic, rock and roll music. They did have a demonstrated grasp of what sound they wanted and what creative vision they had, unlike many bands in the scene who play a lot of covers or are all over the place, which was nice. Broken Milk Crates was THE band to have for this type of gig.
The next band was Phantasm Street. They had a more punk rock sound but still very indie poppy, just sharper and with more principle, drive and 'essence'. Broken Milk Crates had a more disembodied sound that had separate, distinct elements. Phantasm Street was much more like My Bloody Valentine. Very reverb-filled sound, mixed together for a blast of noise, and more disassociating, spacey sound as opposed to the introspective, somewhat sobby nostalgic sound of Broken Milk Crates. Phantasm Street turned the 'tape hiss', warmth, and film halation dials up to 11. Strong creative, somewhat art-rock sound reminiscent of Television. I definitely had a good time editing the photos for this band as the photos easily match the aesthetic and feel of this band. They were psychedelic but not in the analytical, cerebral sense. Their psychedelic edge was more intoxicating and entactogenic, and more about setting the controls for the heart of the sun to become one with the music rather than finding deep truths about yourself. Their sound didn't blast you off to other planets however. It was like a dream. They built on the basic alternative band sound and format but made it more disassociating, more dreamy, and more like a blast of sound.
Their song is best epitomised by their song 'Rope'. Definitely one of the more creative, unique, and memorable bands in the scene. A welcome respite from the usual bands who follow the same format with no innovation, play tons of covers, and follow the same cliches.
I didn't get to catch Piss Off play as I had to leave early. Overall, I am quite impressed by this small gig and there needs to be more all ages gigs, especially ones with bands who have a clear artistic vision and isn't the hodgepodge usually seen. The bands that played had the same command of sound and knew how to sculpt it like many big stadium level bands.
From the archive. Gig review · November 2025, Issue BB12 · phone notes carried verbatim.