Show Review: Perfect Pussy with Davidians and Whatever Brains

Perfect Pussy at Kings Barcade

I am constantly surprised by the Raleigh hardcore scene which may indicate that I am not as familiar with it as I believe myself to be. This was clear to me on Thursday night's show when Davidians broke out into their set. Davidians is comprised of some former members of Double Negative, a band that really defined the hardcore scene in Raleigh.

The band is pretty much defunct as of 2012 but luckily for die-hard Double Negative fans, Davidians holds the future. When they stepped up on the stage to play their set, you could feel a surge in the crowd. They played a solid hardcore set (although I am not the greatest judge of that...) that was energetic and lively. The whole crowd seemed to sway in unison to their scuzzy guitars and frenetic rhythms.

Whatever Brains at Kings Barcade

Up next were my absolute favorites, Whatever Brains. I always forget just how talented these dudes are but every time I see them play, I am totally blown away.  As they walked out they requested the lights to be turned off and they begin weaving their magic with a gradual build up of noise. Whatever Brains manages to create this incredible wall of sound but each sound is very distinct and they constantly build on to this wall of sound with new sounds. If I totally lost you here, they are basically very talented musicians that manage to create a brand of punk-rock that is totally unique, implementing a slew of synths along with traditional punk-rock instrumentation. This show did not disappoint.


Finally, the infamous Perfect Pussy took the stage. This blog post comes so late because I had to really meditate on what I thought of this show. The band looked like very nice people but when they started playing, the only thing that was audible was their synth-noise-making machine. I came in knowing from their EP that the vocals would be indecipherable however I did not expect to hear nothing at all. All that said, the band was lively and their stage presence was really intense and I could tell they were super into it. Overall, I got the hardcore show experience but I would've loved to hear more of the female fronted vocals.