Slowcrush, She's Green, Spite House - 3/26/26 - Fresno, CA - Strummer's

Spite House got the night started. They're from Montreal, and you can hear the accents. The bassist was slinging his bass all over the place, up in the air, around his body, jumping around and putting on a show. The crowd is small, and a little subdued, but the Québécois on stage are still bringing energy. Every song is played at breakneck speed, the drummer pushes the throttle forward  and doesn’t let up. Their sound is emo post punk with a slight hint of shoegaze with a lot of effects leading to melodic distortion and de emphasized vocals underneath the music.

Up next was She’s Green, a five piece band. They had sweet-like-honey vocals floating, or just as often buried beneath, layers of atmosphere from the melodies of the guitars and the rhythms of the bass and drums. The singer and the guitars and the bass were all moving in syncopated rhythm like the four chambers of the heart, not beating at exactly the same time but beating with each other to create something amazing. The two guitarists have a feel for what pedals and effects work well on the same instrument, but also what would work well to complement what their counterpart is doing on the other guitar, like they are two rivers coming together in a peaceful meadow before diving off a cliff together and crashing on the rocks below. 

Slowcrush was the headliner, and they did not disappoint. This was one of those shows you look back on and feel thankful you were able to see it in a smaller venue like Strummer's.

They're a Belgian shoegaze quartet. More specifically the heavier OG shoegaze with distorted guitars. The band played in front of a video show with a floor mounted light projecting from behind them to the audience. They’re silhouetted in front a of wall of light and shadow, with colors and distorted effects on the playing on the video screen. They've matched each song with its own color palette and sequence of visuals that fit with the sounds coming from the speakers. I’m not sure strummers has EVER seen this level of production. Their visuals are worthy of a late night set on the Outdoor Theater at Coachella. They’re either visual artists themselves or really good friends with someone who is. That's how good the level of work is. As far as the music goes, you can say the same great things about Slowcrush as you can about any other phenomenal shoegaze band. Just an incredible experience for the senses.