Knocked Loose features energy and breakdowns
Hello World
Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine of the band Knocked Loose plays during a show at Blue Moose on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. Knocked Loose is a hardcore punk band from Kentucky. (Nick Rohlman/The Daily Iowan)
October 22, 2017
Knocked Loose performs at the Blue Moose, demonstrating that the scene features camaraderie.
On Oct. 21, hard-core band Knocked Loose kicked loose at the Blue Moose, 211 Iowa Ave., with Hollow Earth, Still Standing, and Cut the Tongue.
The show had some amazing highlights, and one lowlight that helped show the camaraderie of the hard-core scene. Cut the Tongue started the show with a very brief set, and the band members didnt have a lot of time to to make their mark. While the show was definitely not bad, they failed to leave a real impression, although it was cool to see a couple of the members in the pit during the next few sets.
Still Standing followed with a unique blend of hard-core music and metal vocals, which, combined with a very strong stage presence and high-energy performance, made the group a great live experience.
Hollow Earth was third, and it seemed ready to tear down Blue Moose, brick by brick. With the use of lights and a fog machine alone, the band members set a dark atmosphere, and their blend of hard-core and metal only helped to further that. They did a great job of sounding very cohesive on stage, and on top of an excellent performance, they had a ton of energy.
Finally, it was Knocked Loose’s turn to take the stage. Together with Hollow Earth, the group had just finished a monthlong tour with Every Time I Die, and despite being on the road for a month, the band brought the Blue Moose to life.
Throughout the performance, the audience screamed the lyrics, and the floor was bouncing up and down as the crowd jumped to the beat of the songs. Everyone was moving, and everyone was having a great time.
The lowlight of the show happened during the final song, when a member of the audience went to stage dive, and no one caught him in time, causing him to land on his head. Vocalist Bryan Garris immediately stopped the song, jumped off stage to clear space around him, and a few members of the audience who had experience in dealing with head injuries jumped into action to see if he was all right.
The crowd immediately parted, making a path to the door for the first responders. The Iowa City police and paramedics were on the scene quickly, and diving man walked out of the venue without any help.
After the show, the man, who will remain unidentified, and his friends were hanging out outside the venue, when vocalist Garris and guitarist Isaac Hale came out and hung with him, showing off tattoos and talking about music.
Despite the obvious seriousness of the situation, the band members, as well as the fans, rose to the occasion to make sure of the well-being of a fellow hard-core fan. Despite the potential risk hard-core shows bring, the fans united to take care of each other.
Overall, the show was fantastic, and even the negative side of the show demonstrated a positive part of the scene.