Recording: Deliluh

Artist: Deliluh

Song: Freeloader Feast

Recorded at MOCA (Not Dead Yet Presents), June 29, 2019.

Deliluh - Freeloader Feast

There was a bit of physical/emotional dislocation and relocation at this show, sorting through the realities and ironies of our gentrifying city. Recently a sort of semi-abandoned zone where off-the-grid culture flourished (and just over from where some cool DIY loft spaces used to be) and in a formerly-abandoned building (where audiences and musicians like the ones at hand used to sneak in and explore and smoke a joint, looking out over the city) this show took place in the new Museum of Contemporary Art, now refinished with a sort of austere/pricey minimalism and filled with Expensive Things. From the back of the long, rectangular space, held up by large circular concrete pillars, it looked not unlike a show taking place underneath a highway overpass — and by virtue of the space, it sounded more than a little like one too. Is this a simulacrum of independent culture, selling us back our nostalgia for a recently-departed past at a bespoke markup? Or is it just a matter of trying to find any sort of space in a city where space for the DIY spirit is getting crowded out?

Back from a tour and sharp as razorblades, this show served as the official release celebration for Deliluh's Oath Of Intent EP. It'd actually been a hot minute since I had seen the band in action, certainly not since they solidified with their current four-piece lineup with frontman Kyle Knapp and longstanding guitarist Julius Pedersen joined by Erik Jude (formerly of HSY, here on bass) and Erika Wharton-Shukster (on drums). Playing with fierceness and clarity, this was a tightly-focused set, showing off the EP's tunes, re-arranging a couple old ones and then finishing with one brand new one to leave the audience wanting more.