On a cold night in late 2022, an all-American tour found its way into deep dark Nottingham. Badflower and their guests Dead Poet Society took to the stage, with Kitty Donnelly watching on.
Walking from the blistering cold into the relief of the warm atmosphere of Rescue Rooms was alleviating in two ways; the first being that I could finally feel my fingers, and the second (and arguably more important) was because I was heading to see a barrage of heavy drums, blazing guitars, and striking rock performances. On Friday 2nd December, the American punk-rock band Dead Poet Society was supporting one of the best upcoming alternative rock bands on the scene, Badflower. Whilst both bands are relatively new to the industry, (Badflower’s debut album OK, I’M SICK being released in 2019, and DPS's debut -!- in 2021) they both put on stellar performances that electrified the crowd.
Dead Poet Society opened with their song .burymewhole., exposing their kinetic energy from the get-go. The bruising heavy rock was aggressive with a deep bass and drum sound that reverberated skulls in the best of ways. Frontman Jack Underkofler, guitarist Jack Collins, bassist Dylan Brenner, and drummer Will Goodroad lead the audience through a buzzing set, with songs like .intoodeep. and Lo Air, alongside more hits from their debut. .SALT. found their bassist jumping across the stage in an impressive show of athleticism, prompting him to joke that “we're moving more than they are” at the slightly reluctant crowd. Despite this, by their final song .CoDA., the bands electricity extended to the audience and prompted an army of headbanging fans.
...after 18 extraordinary songs the crowd returned into the blistering cold with smiles...
After a brief interim, it was time for the long-awaited headliners, Badflower. The band erupted onto the stage and slung themselves into their opening song Fuckboi. This manic projection of alternative punk had drummer Anthony Sonetti playing ferociously, with his energy sweeping through the band and into the audience, who soon began chanting the chorus. Alongside him stood Singer/Guitarist Josh Katz, Lead Guitarist Joey Morrow, and Bassist Alex Espiritu. The band’s genuine enjoyment at jamming out with each other and the packed-out venue, made the room vibrant with movement and exhilaration. As the band moved through their predominantly high-energy set, they played hit after hit, including Ghost, x ANA x and Move Me.
However, what made this set so special was the well-timed slower moments, and for a set that was just over two and a half hours, the pacing was excellent. Despite being known for their breakneck tempo, many of Badflower's songs express raw emotions through skill full story telling. Ghost for example, was played halfway through the set, and the collection of haunting guitar tones and anguishing vocals made it easily one of the most powerful songs in the set. The song speaks of the lead singers’ struggle with anxiety and depression, and looking around the room, you could tell how much the song had resonated and touched the entire crowd. The eclectic set carried the audience through with a whirlwind of emotions, and by the final song 30 there were pits opening in the small venue, with people shouting the chorus (or just shouting if they didn’t know the words).
The bands engagement with the audience, from cheeky guitar riffs in interludes to amusing comments, made the whole performance so much more enjoyable. It was a fantastic evening of rock-n-roll, and after 18 extraordinary songs the crowd returned into the blistering cold with smiles.
Kitty Donnelly
Edited by : Jake Longhurst
All images and videos courtesy of Badflower & Dead Poet Society.
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