Art covers walls, hands hold drinks, a slight buzz rings from a big idling speaker, and chatter between strangers fills a mostly unfamiliar room. Times are chaotic, and people are antsy. When the world is filled with uncertainty, people seek expression, and people seek each other.
Close in on a small house in East Atlanta, where multiple artists from different backgrounds gathered on Feb. 22 to play music. Atlanta, being the biggest melting pot in the Southeast, brings together all kinds of people from all kinds of places. This little underground concert represented that diversity well. Everyone experiences hardship , and every band that played that night had their own way of addressing their demons.
Such is the way of art. Music has always been an outlet for human expression and connection. People seek out underground music scenes to find unique experiences. Underground music fans often seek subversion from commonality, and the performers also use it to connect with one-another.
The concert opened with a bang from Made Up. Their playing was clean, and their songs were well written. The vocalist’s eccentricity and singing style made for a fun performance. It was a really solid set of indie rock tinged with emotional angst and lyrical specificity that stuck around for a good bit after the stage cleared.
A band called Lunar Gateway, self proclaimed “seekers of sound,” were up second. I have to admit, their music isn’t exactly to my taste, and the reverb was a bit much that night. But they were well practiced and played well. They finished with a multi-phase song that was about as long as all their others combined. It was quite the feat to perform start to finish, and definitely the best part of their set.
2K ZOO was third up. Expert in multiple genres and in creating a vibe, 2K ZOO played a handful of songs that made people move and smile to the beat. Their lyrics included emo-inspired lines about emotional turmoil, keeping it moving through tough times, and enjoying life despite it all. The cherry on top was a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” one of the best songs from one of the best to ever do it.
Sakura Seppuku was the fourth band to play. If the name didn’t tip it off, the band has roots in Japanese music. Noelani Manami, the band’s frontwoman, vocalist, and guitarist, said her two biggest influences were Japanese rock bands.
As a big fan of Japanese music myself, rock especially. Sakura Seppuku’s sound reflected the chords and melodies I hear in some of my favorite bands. Even as chaotic as their songs could be, I felt oddly at home hearing a local group embrace that sound.
I also felt comfort in the vulnerability in Manami’s lyricism, struck by how raw the emotions felt on display. Her own words only made them hit harder.
“I feel like wishing we were someone else, especially during hard times, is a very real and human emotion that a lot of us feel but often don’t want to talk about,” Manami said, leading into the second song of Sakura Seppuku’s set. “I want you to know that it’s okay to feel like that; in fact it’s so relevant to feel like that from time to time because it only solidifies our humanity and the softness of our hearts. I see you, I feel you, and you’re the greatest treasure you can have. So treasure yourself even if you wish you were someone else right now.”
They’re the kinds of words that if the right person heard at the right time, could really get them through a difficult stretch. It’s hard to maintain good mental health, and hearing another person give affirmations is sometimes a better medicine than any.
Thee BLK Pearl came last as the headliner of the show, playing blues-infused punk.
A big motif throughout Thee BLK Pearl’s set was crowd involvement. Lead Astin Rocks has a confidence behind her guitar and microphone that demands response. Truthfully, you can only really get so much interaction out of 20-something people packed into a small living room that don’t know each other well, but Rocks gave it her all. In due time and with some warming up, she had an audience of not just eyes and ears, but clapped rhythms, chants, and cheers too.
“A lot of the best shows that I’ve been to are always aware of the crowd,” Rocks said about why she leans so heavily into crowd interaction during her sets. “The ones that are memorable to me are the ones that not only just perform, but interact with the people who came to see them.”
Rocks yelled about frustrations over social obligations, unwanted advances, and even chanted her band’s Instagram tag. I found myself laughing along with the bluntness in her vocals, but also feeling very involved. What she was saying was much deeper because she was effectively reaching out and bringing the audience directly into her music.
On top of that crowd interaction, Thee BLK Pearl’s set had this cool continuity to it. Each song led directly into the next as the musicians played on through applause, introducing the following tracks with smooth transitions.
When that’s combined with a performer as entertaining as Rocks, it’s hard to not stay gripped by the band in front of you.
“What I just hope to achieve is that the folks in the crowd are enjoying themselves as much as I am, you know, that they’re understanding what I’m singing about and not just like, ‘Oh wow that’s a good song,’” Rocks said. “I want you to feel the lyrics and I want you to be able to interpret what is going on, and feel like you halfway wrote the song too.”
There’s a personability that makes for the best performances. Half the appeal in live music is the social aspect of being there with fans of similar things. It’s the direct interaction with the artists in front of and around you. It’s the feeling that this experience can never be fully replicated outside of this time at this spot.
These are what make up memories of the best live performances, and they define how I see that small concert in East Atlanta. I look forward to seeing the places these artists might go, unfiltered guitar melodies ringing in my head (I forgot to bring earplugs), and a smile stuck on my face.
