Scowl are about halfway through a spring tour supporting Movements. Their days off are limited, and the days on are full-speed. But on Sunday night, between shows in Philadelphia and Silver Spring, they forfeited a free day for a pit stop in New Jersey.
Read more: In conversation with Scowl and Frank Iero
Alongside dance-punk outfit Model/Actriz and NJHC stalwarts Negative Force, Scowl played an intimate, energetic set at Garwood’s Crossroads. Top to bottom, the night had the 200-cap room engaged and buzzing. Following a rowdy hardcore opening by Negative Force, Model/Actriz’s Cole Haden hit the stage. Between high kicks, writhing through a dancing crowd, and scaling a steel column — his performance fell somewhere between magnetic burlesque, a cybergoth dance party, the antics of a heedless hardcore frontman — and Kiley Minogue. Scowl’s noticeably green-haired Kat Moss, in a dark hoodie, could be spotted dancing, hard, to the side of the pit.
Gabrielle Ravet
But by the time Scowl took to the small, mylar-curtained stage, Moss’ signature hairstyle was not only on display, but primed for head-banging. The setlist included early tracks like “Fuck Around,” songs from their Psychic Dance Routine EP, as well as singles off the new album, Are We All Angels, which arrives in April via Dead Oceans.
As longtime fans of the band, AP welcomed Scowl into the fold early on. Since, we’ve only seen them continue to grow. As proven Sunday night in Jersey, their sound seems to only get tighter, their playing more instinctive, and the audience experience more addictive as time, touring, and producing new music goes on.
Gabrielle Ravet
Backstage, we got the chance to chat with Moss about where the band drew influence on the new album. “Lyrically, I can point to Julien Baker,” she shares. “I think her poetry is amazing. The way she tells stories and talks about pretty much her inner darkest feelings is heavily inspiring.
Gabrielle Ravet
“Another one is My Chemical Romance,” Moss continues. “I am super inspired by the vocal performances on the recorded music. It’s as if Gerard [Way] is jumping into your face through your earbuds, and I felt like in my lowest moments in recording, I just wanted to be as theatrical and act out everything.” She also lists Fall Out Boy, Billie Eilish, and Sonic Youth (particularly on “Fleshed Out,” where they take spoken-word cues from Kim Gordon).
Check out the full video, plus photos from their recent New Jersey show, below.
