A well-appointed rock & roll bill is a thing of beauty. Even in a musical landscape increasingly driven by solo artists, putting together a group of bands can still be considered an art form. The word “curation” has become so overused that it’s lost its meaning, but the industry levers that bring together the right mix of bands absolutely deserve some appreciation. Sunday night’s Riot Fest-promoted show at Bottom Lounge seemed to hit the sweet spot with High Vis, Secret World, LOCKED SHUT, and Cold Gawd. Recent booking trends are going away from micro-scenes and towards variety, which can probably be attributed to the rise of crossover hardcore groups like Turnstile and Scowl. It’s actually become one of the few positives in a music industry trying to find its way in 2025.
For fans and performers alike, there’s absolutely a benefit to including these heavier groups across broader festival lineups and show bills. The music itself is starting to reflect that, as these genres blend together without ever seeming same-y or uninteresting. That’s where a group like High Vis offers (perhaps) its greatest selling point. They appeal to a wide swathe of rock fans, and the diverse group of bands they bring on tour tends to keep their core fanbase happy. Looking around Bottom Lounge, it felt like there were multiple contingents of rock fans being served, with hardcore kids mingling with indie-rock yuppies and Britpop-dudes who may or may not have been drinking since the AM Premier League games…
Up first was California group Cold Gawd, fast-risers in a crowded shoegaze scene. Touring on 2024’s I’ll Drown On This Earth, the Rancho Cucamonga outfit (by way of Chicago, at least for the frontman) craft deeply emotional songs that marry sludgy and dreamy textures. This sonic territory is well-traveled, with Cold Gawd falling into the camp more reminiscent of Deftones than My Bloody Valentine, which is fitting for a SoCal band. There’s certainly a heaviness to songs like “Malibu Beach House” and “Golden Postcard” that helps them slot in with hardcore or even metal bands, and these dudes have more than transcended the (not my words) whimpiness that gets thrown at shoegaze bands.
A punishing low-end, driven by bass melodies easier to pick out in the live setting, underscores the guitars and vocals. Adding synths to their live setup could be beneficial, but frontman Matthew Wainwright’s soft vocal melodies weave through the fuzz and sludge to provide a topography to their overall presentation. The guitarists seem to oscillate between airy and muddied accents, while Cold Gawd’s layered sound never feels flat or stagnant (a challenge for bands in this genre), making their shows a more dynamic experience.
Wainwright is sneaky-captivating between tracks, shouting out the shows he’s seen at Bottom Lounge during his Logan Square days while also imploring audience members to never become a touring musician. Advisable or not, these guys definitely seem like they’re grinding this tour out and capitalizing on the opportunity to put themselves in front of would-be fans with an increasing appetite for the dense indie rock they’re putting down.
Missouri crew LOCKED SHUT were up next. The quintet brought traditional hardcore barnburners without any of the frills associated with the current era of the genre. It has to be noted how perfect a name LOCKED SHUT is for a hardcore band. It’s easy to imagine every founder of subsequent hardcore groups kicking themselves for not thinking of it. Seeing them live, it’s impossible to hold a grudge. Whipping the crowd into a frenzy from the start, their frontman prowled (and perhaps even sprinted at one point) across the stage. Alex Kelly’s vocals were impossibly crystal clear, given the fervor of their delivery. Gnarled riffs and deft soloing accented the otherwise straightforward set, but it was all energy. Between songs, frontman Alex Kelly gave amiable banter (perhaps that’s what he means by their “Midwest hardcore” qualifier) and hyped each group on the bill. When it was time to play, he invited all hell to break loose. The fans obliged.
Sydney punks Secret World were next. Their sleek and approachable blend of indie and hardcore easily found a home here, and their Aussie charm won the crowd over immediately (when has that ever not worked?). “The Way It Goes” is reminiscent of pop-punk, while their stage presence feeds into their heavier tendencies. Growled vocals and blistering guitars efficiently propelled urgent songs with chant-friendly choruses and mosh-worthy outbursts. Singer Ryan Pond made great pains to shout out the Australian hardcore scene, including SPEED, who doubtless needed little boost considering they were in Chicago opening for Turnstile a week earlier. The admirable sales pitch was most effective when the band was playing. Highly melodic and punchy as hell, Secret World finds ways to convey both the joy of being in a musical community and the anger of living in a troubled world.
High Vis is a London-based quintet known for blending hardcore, post-punk, and 80s Manchester flavors into compelling and approachable rock music. Their hype has been steadily building for a few years now, but 2024’s fantastic Guided Tour has propelled them into a wider audience in North America. Genre-wise, there might be enough ideas informing their sound that they are now simply “a rock band.” They’ve never undergone a quantifiable shift in sound where detractors can lazily drop the “going mainstream” tag. There’s always been a pop sensibility to their sound you can quantify, especially if you traffic in the sort of anglophonic acts aptly described as “sad British pop music.”
There’s a timelessness to their sound that lends High Vis an appeal to an even wider range of fans of multiple genres. Their albums truly sound and feel like they could have been released any year after 1978. It’s not out of the question that they could find a new audience with the energized Oasis fanbase. Crisp vocals and wispy guitar arpeggios are informed by numerous eras of indie rock and new wave. On stage, all that sheen goes out the window. While the band’s hardcore roots are only part of the equation, they’re the proof-of-concept for their live shows.
Frontman Graham Sayle immediately got to work pumping up the crowd with tracks like “Talk For Hours” and “0151.” Instead of the melodic delivery of the records, Sayle bellowed and howled his lyrics about class struggle and identity while the BPMs seemed to tick up to mark the occasion. Some of the textures of their albums were evident, with the ringing guitar tones and melodic bass grooves, reminiscent of 80s postpunk on “Walking Wires” and “Guided Tour.” There are even dancier beats, with “Mind’s a Lie” incorporating icy vocal samples and club-ready percussion to accent the crisp bass and reedy guitars. “Choose to Lose” closed out the night with Sayle absolutely belting out lyrics so vulnerable they had almost no business being delivered with the tinge of hope that colors so much of their music.
Between their albums and live performances, High Vis offers two relatively distinct experiences. Creation Records-esque output makes them an enjoyable listen for everyday life, while being in one of their crowds makes you want to (respectfully) put your fist through some drywall. Timeless, to be sure, but on stage, High Vis is nothing but the here-and-now.
