Live Music Review //
Body Farm / Zipper /
Dysnomia / The Work /
Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop
May 3rd, 2023
Wamleg, Wallingford CT
Additional photos can be found in a Facebook album here :::
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1240422843354601&type=3
What better way to spend your Wednesday night than at a hardcore show. I knew Body Farm, who is on tour, and when I saw them paired with Zipper and Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop I knew this was can't miss. I hadn't heard of The Work or Dysnomia prior to this show, which we can likely just chalk up to my not knowing the hardcore scene as well as I should, but they both put on a hell of a show as well.
This show was opened by Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop and it started things with a bang. The music is loud, aggressive and very much in your face. I like to think that these sets separate certain people who listen to music in the way of how loud can it get before you decide it's too much and leave. Though at this hardcore show that didn't seem to be an issue as people seemed to like it louder.
At one point in the set, Chopx7 usually starts banging and throwing around pieces of metal- like pots and pans. This happened at the end of the set tonight and as things were bouncing around and going in out of bounds places, people were picking them up and throwing them back towards the ground and kicking them, stomping on them and just contributing to the destruction. I feel like there is definitely something therapeutic in this music, as it's a great way to leave all your frustrations behind.
The Work was up second and they had a very screamy hardcore sound, even though they did also have songs that were really short. Everyone was really into this set and I feel like I was one of the only people there who had never seen them before, but I'd definitely go out of my way to see them now. As the theme of the night went, this was loud and in your face. The singer was screaming more than singing for the most of it.
I don't always get nostalgic about hardcore music, but seeing The Work for the first time made me think back to the first time I saw The Hope Conspiracy and how they brought that energy where it wasn't quite hardcore, it wasn't quite punk and it wasn't quite metal but it was going to rip your face off. The Work also just very much seemed to have their sound together where they played as a band and that made it all feel that much harder.
Another band I didn't know going into this show was up next and they're called Dysnomia. From what I could tell, they were trying to start their set with candles but due to fire concerns the candles weren't allowed. The set started in darkness and I wonder if the candles would've really enhanced that. I'm not sure if they would've played by candlelight the whole time or not, but by the second song or so the lights came on.
When listening to Dysnomia, I was debating in my head whether or not a hardcore band could be goth. But then I realized, just because I hadn't really heard a goth hardcore band before doesn't mean that they don't exist. Having candles doesn't make them goth, but the specific type of metal they brought into their hardcore sound certainly did. And this felt like it was closer to metal than hardcore, which I also really liked and it gave them this really unique sound.
Zipper was up next and they're a punk band that has a lot of traction and rightfully so. It felt like this entire set was about twelve minutes (I wasn't timing it, but if I had to guess) and that felt very punk rock of them. Zipper has this hard-hitting, in your face style of punk rock that could hold its own within the hardcore community, as evidenced by this show, but also mix it up with other punk bands at a punk show.
I hadn't seen Zipper since late last year, so knowing I would be seeing them again going into this show felt like an added bonus. I feel like seeing certain musicians every weekend would be fine by me, but at the same time I know that having those limited appearances makes them seem more special so if I only see Zipper once a month or so I'd be good with that.
Body Farm headlined this show and I found out as it was announced there that their singer, Ocean-Breeze Kudla, was celebrating their birthday. These are the types of little tidbits I like about shows, to look back at years from now and remember. Body Farm plays this hardcore style that capped off an aggressive and in your face style show perfectly. This is certainly a fitting style of sound, but it's also a bit political.
Now, the thing is, I think it's weird to say something is political when it's talking about subject matter such as pronouns because all you have to do is refer to someone by they proper pronouns- we don't need to bring the government into this. But, that is in so many ways what the world has come to and we've turned issues of basic human rights into political selling points and that is also on some level what Body Farm is trying to convey.
Whether you needed to let off some steam or just enjoy some music, this really felt like the place to be on a Wednesday night. There was also a decent crowd here, and I am always surprised/impressed by the Connecticut music scene's showing up and showing out on a week night.
Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop can be found on Bandcamp here :::
https://chop7times.bandcamp.com/album/we-live-as-ghosts
The Work can be found on Bandcamp here :::
https://theworkct.bandcamp.com/album/demo-22
Dysnomia is currently not online.
Zipper can be found on Bandcamp here :::
https://zipperct.bandcamp.com/album/dont-fit
Body Farm can be found on Bandcamp here :::
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