.png)
Show Lineup
Commoner, Mx Lonely, Glixen, and Glare
Genre(s)
Commoner: Metalcore shoegaze. Half step away from being classic metalcore, the distorted guitars give that mild shoegaze vibe.
Mx. Lonely: Metalcore shoegaze. Grittier and more droning shoegaze with mild synth vibes.
Glixen: Shoegaze in it's purest form. Distorted instrumentals, long gritty riffs, dainty vocals.
Glare: Airbuds dubs them Texas Shoegaze which I find strikingly fitting.
Venue
Club Congress in Tucson, Arizona
Date
10/15/2024
Preface
I'd like to start this article by giving a big thanks to all of the performers who took time out of their busy schedules to talk to me. I'm awed by your kindness and humility. I'm glad to have formed connections and look forward to collaborating with you all in the future!
Also, apologies in advance for the slightly bad pictures, I took these all of my digital camera and I thought the quality would be better (whoops!!!)
-Lamley Andrews
It was a beautiful Tuesday evening in Tucson, Arizona. Nestled right next to the historic Hotel Congress is its smaller subsidiary - Club Congress. The venue is small and intimate with its deep-moody lighting and scrappy aesthetic. It's personally one of my favorite venues since it strikes the perfect balance between local dive bar and upscale concert theater.
In the back and side were two merch stands - one housing the merchandise for Mx Lonely and Commoner and another for Glixen and Glare. As enticing the merch was - everyone's focus was directed towards the stage. Washed in a deep blue hue the first band emerges - Commoner.
Commoner is an indie metalcore/shoegaze band hailing from Tucson itself. They greet the audience warmly, expressing how great it felt to be home. Immediately they dove into their set.
I was completely taken aback by their piercing instumentals and raw vocals. The music felt like it came straight out of a cut-classic indie film! I feel like hearing them for the first time live was the best possible way for me to get into them! I really love learning about local AZ bands. All of the members are so kind and down to earth. There is a potential interview and in-studio in the works so be sure to check our site in the future for more!
Following Commoner was Mx Lonely.
Mx Lonely is a metalcore/shoegaze band out of New York. Once, again I went into this not knowing much about their sound. As they set up, I was particularly intrigued by the tiny synth keyboard being set up.
Once again, the audience was greeted but in a rather mischievous tone. Immediately the bar was set - this was going to be nothing like you've heard before. Through the raving synths and screeching guitars, I was entranced by their performance. All throughout lead singer - Rae Haas would poke at the audience through her modulated mic which made her sound like an alien. The alien tone matched their performance - out of this world! They really brought a new level of energy to the crowd, especially after Rae dove into the audience. It was a total interactive experience!
Following the show, I spoke with Rae. Between her carrying boxes full of merch and speaking with other show goers, I really felt like I got to experience Mx Lonely on a more personal level.
Here is that interview!
Yes I know it's vertical, yell at me about it later.
Thanks again Rae for chatting with me and Jake for showing up XD
As she mentioned, go check out their latest single Beauty Lasts for Never!
Next up was Glixen!
I was very excited to see this group - especially considering the venue we were at. I - much like Commoner and Mx Lonely, got into Glixen after seeing them live for the first time when they opened for Cowgirl Clue last year (you can see my review for that show on my page).
They really slowed the vibe down with their pure shoegaze sound. Everyone was deeply feeling the music. I was trying my best to not scream and fangirl (to varying levels of success). The crowd really mellowed out until they pulled one more song out of their pocket. It was hard and heavy, almost leaning into doom metal. They played it without mentioning a word, perhaps that was a sneak peek into a new single - much like they did for foreversoon, or maybe they were pulling a really old song out of the vault. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
Also, shout out to Keire for letting me take this horrible picture with him XD
Now for the headliner...
Glare!
The crowd instantly flared up the second they came out for setup and sound checks. Despite getting through the "business" end of a performance, they radiated a level of aura that made everyone lose their minds. I was really excited to see them considering that the last time I saw them was at Tough Luvv Fest. I felt like I didn't really get to experience the full extent of their performance back then, but now, I was almost overwhelmed by their level of stage presence.
They opened with their smash hit Void in Blue.
I felt like I was being struck with lightning. The buildup was meteoric and the breakdown came down like an avalanche. They absolutely captured the attention of the audience. Despite the power they weld, they kept humble and interacted with the audience in between songs as they retuned.
During one break, I shouted out how I saw them last at Tough Luvv Fest. They chuckled and moved on. I impulsively added that "I missed them" (we get a little silly here) - They replied back saying "I don't know you." I couldn't help but laugh! I give them props for actively fighting against parasocial relationships. Despite that, expect an exclusive KAMP student radio interview with them some time in the future.
The night ended with a wild mosh pit and people absolutely losing their minds.
Merchandise
I wouldn't be a complete review without my thoughts on the merchandise!
I bought a little bit of everything from every artist.
From Commoner, I bought their anime girl t-shirt
The shirt is a really nice thick cotton with a sweatshirt like collar. With my purchase they gave me a button and a matching anime girl sticker!
From Mx Lonely, I bout their SPIT album cassette and camo hat (pictured above with Keire)
I'm wearing the hat as im typing this and I honestly love it! It's 100% cotton so it's really breatable and it fits my abnormally large head! I really had to stop myself at the Mx Lonely booth because their merch is really out of this world! They had so many cool shirt designs that I loved. I guess I just have to see them again when I have more money XD
From Glixen I bought their orginial sticker set! I wasn't able to get it last time I saw them so I was glad I was able to this time
[imagine a picture here i forgot to take one / can't find a pic on the internet. I'll add one when I can]
From Glare I got their Into You / Void In Blue vinyl! I always love buying vinyls at concerts because they're always so affordable! For me, I always find it a struggle to buy vinyl so being able to get a really nice piece of physical media from these shows really seals the deal for me. Also, I haven't opened it yet so I have no idea which colorway I got. I'll update the photo once I do.
Conclusions
I REALLY had a great time at this show. I really didn't know what to expect since it was an early evening on a Tuesday but I really felt like I was partying on a Friday night! Everyone did such a great job and was so kind. The audience was also really nice too!
I rate this show 10/10!
Comments