Photographs by Chloe Gonzales
On a chilly February night, the UCLA community flocked to an apartment courtyard. Looking for a night of love and some punk rock, there was an ocean of romantic colors: white for single, black for complicated, and red for taken. Although there were many black and white outfits in the crowd, there was still an overwhelming sense of love in the air. Whether the love was romantic, platonic, or for the music, it was a surrounding energy encapsulating everyone.
Throughout the venue, there were student vendors scattered throughout the sea. There was a wide variety of what was available to the wandering eyes of the audience. There were tables selling “love potions” and snacks, while across the way UCLA Radio hoodies up for sale. The bands for the night were selling merchandise as well. Alongside one of my roommates and the photographer, I was even selling at the punk show. Across from our jewelry and press-on nails booth, stood a vintage clothing stand. As the night was ramping up for the performances, a carefully curated playlist of old and new punk music was playing throughout the courtyard as spectators were socializing and vendors were selling.
Featuring three bands: Stereobliss, Minor Strut, and Lady Vengeance, the night was bound to be unforgettable. Performing first was Stereobliss. Stemming from West Los Angeles, the sensational group is composed of four key members: Jaxon on guitar and vocals, Dominic on guitar, Atticus on bass, and Jimmy on drums. The group has many influences, but they mainly pull from shoegaze, post-hardcore, and modern emo music. The collective started their set off with a shoegaze inspired song titled, “Inbetween”. The crowd quickly filed into the lower terrace of the courtyard, the source of the music. It was not long into their set when mosh pits started to emerge. I love watching and participating in mosh pits, so this was fun to observe. Stereobliss played a couple more songs, but my favorite performance was “Gummo” from their new EP, Under the Orchids. The group ended off their set with an Interpol cover, “Roland”. They left the crowd hungry for more and ready for the next set.
The following set was the main set of the night, Minor Strut. Hailing from the Inland Empire, the band has four members: Coryn Cahill on vocals, Ethan Nguyen on guitar, Marquis Miranda on the bass, Aiden Kunhardt on the drums. I cheered in excitement once the MC for the night announced the group was from the Inland Empire, since I grew up there. The collective has been performing at festivals and events since 2014, doing covers and they recently started to release their own music. The group specializes in relationship (familial, platonic, and romantic) dynamics, growing up, and self-development. The group began their set with a cover of “Circles” by Incubus, and followed it up with some of their other singles and covers. Performing songs such as “Mannequin Head”, “State of Mind”, and “Hearing Loss”, observers could clearly hear hints of math rock, alternative rock, and punk rock in their style. The crashing of bodies against each other in the mosh pits showed the enthusiasm of the crowd. Minor Strutended their portion of the night with a cover of “Bombtrack” by Rage Against the Machine. The end of the set was one that left audience members energized. As the band was packing up, they made sure to place an emphasis and appreciation on the merchants for the night.
The final set of the night was Lady Vengeance. Featuring four UCLA students, the band is composed of Cas on the bass, Ollie on the drums, Kate on the guitar, and Colette on vocals. While the band pulls from many inspirations within the punk rock scene, they also want to bring back an anti-establishment approach that used to be prevalent in the genre. In addition to this, the collective also tries to create a space for everyone within their music and invoke the feeling of safety for their listeners. Although their set was cut short due to it being shut down by the local police, the band still was able to play a song and a half. The first song they performed was “Rebel Girl”, a cover of a Bikini Kill song. The second song, that was unfortunately shortened, was one of their songs “Punching Bag”. Although the group was only able to perform very little of their set, the crowd loved it nonetheless. Towards the end of the night, there was an overwhelming amount of love for the music played by Lady Vengeance.
Although the night was sadly shut down, it did not diminish from the fact that it was an enjoyable night for everyone. Observers and vendors alike enjoyed the music and were vibing to it. As the courtyard was gradually getting cleared, a feeling of contentment lingered from everyone who spent their Valentine’s Day in one of the best possible ways: from a punk rock house show. With the merchandise booths, fundraisers, mosh pits, and stellar music, it was truly a night that could not be forgotten.
