Boonton-based local shoegaze band High. started the night with overpowering walls of distortion and noise. Their heavy reverb bled into the room like fog, so thick you could feel it in your lungs. Second up was I Promised The World (FKA Sinema) which delivered frantic, angry, chaotic, post-hardcore energy. Coming all the way from Denton, Texas, they brought the sweatiest mosh pit I have been stampeded on in recent memory. Then followed Febuary, a femme-lead screamo band from LA, who performed with such fervent emotion it truly blew the crowd away. Midrift, a California based alternative shoegazey band closed off the night. They reveled in their otherworldly, distant, spacey, entirely celestial shoegazey haze. Trance-like in nature, their set had the room feeling as though it slipped out of orbit, drifting deep into a galaxy carved out by their obscured and heavy riffs. 

As the openers, High left such a memorable impression even now as I sit back and reminisce on the whole event. Their shoegaze-meets-indie rock swirl is the ideal opener. The dark, moody and gloom-soaked distortion laid the groundwork for the intense heaviness that followed. Fresh off touring the basement-show circuit, they played with a weight and presence that demanded your attention. It was loud, crushing, and left a lasting impression that lingered long after the amps cut out. Their foggy shoegaze only set the stage for the following bands. 

Crazed and intense as per usual, I Promised The World played next. Despite this being my second time seeing them, I was excited as ever to watch them perform. They brought the same brazen, wildfire energy that had me absolutely hooked the first time. Their stage presence was reckless, with each of the band members occasionally rushing into the crowd with the moshers, which only pumped the audience up more. Meanwhile, frontman Hunter Wilson’s screams cut through the crowd with blistering intensity as the pit morphed into a blur of limbs and crowdsurfers. More than once I feared I would be stampeded, crushed, or leave with broken glasses in the best case scenario. Nonetheless, time and time again I would dive back in without hesitation to feel that sense of catharsis that follows an I Promised the World performance. Their sets are always dangerous, addictive and so so so chaotic. Nothing will compare to the serenity and catharsis that came with hearing "Tears Of The Moon" or "Weather to Believe" live yet again. 

Febuary hit like a breaking dam. After all the fire and fury of I Promised the World, their set poured out pure ache. This show marked their New Jersey debut, and fans who had been waiting for this moment were eager for the performance. The anticipation in the room was palpable as the band began setting up, and it utterly exploded as they took to the stage. Frontwoman Rilla's intense screams weren’t just cutting through the ferocious noise, it tore through the gut, the very core, raw and unflinching. Each song bled out sorrow, longing and grief, and there existed a shared healing within that blistering noise. The crowd shared a communal sense of release, depression, grief, longing, which funneled into the music itself. Febuary is well known for their unfiltered energy at shows, but it's so different to actually get to experience it live. All the energy present in their music is absolutely explosive in person. Their wild, uncompromising and aggressive sound cements them in the screamo scene. Febuary's performance was truly unlike a lot of the other screamo shows I had seen because of the combined raw intensity and vulnerability of their music. Most of the setlist consisted of songs from their newest album, Run Like A Girl, which was simply amazing to see live. 

Midrift closed the night not with a bang but with a spacey cosmic trip. After the storm of rage and grief, they pulled us into a suspended, otherworldly experience. Being able to bring something out-of-this-world while maintaining an alternative rock edge made them unique. Despite only having released their self-titled EP in 2022, Midrift has quickly gained traction in the scene due to their unique shoegaze and alternative rock mix, along with their cosmic performances. It served as the perfect comedown. The mirror to High’s fog-drenched opening, Midrift finished the night off in a haze. Where Febuary cracked us open, Midrift stitched the crowd back together with reverb. 

As the night closed off, Maggies Bar and Grill felt like the furthest thing from a golf country club. It was entirely unrecognizable– a space where intense, hardcore, screamo bands delivered insane catharsis to their audience. Four completely different bands all had their own way of tearing you apart before putting you all back together. Walking out into the quiet golf green felt disorienting, like stepping off a massive rollercoaster ride you didn't expect to end. Adrenaline still pumping, it was truly a night to remember and an overall powerful experience.