“Hardcore ruined other live music for me, to be honest.” That’s what Drain vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro told us during a recent interview, and it might sound negative, but it’s really just a comment on how the energy of a great hardcore show is so amazing that anything else just pales in comparison. It’s a sentiment that’s not hard to relate to, and Drain themselves are responsible for bringing that energy to very large crowds on their current headlining tour.

Patrick Kindlon of Drug Church, who are providing direct support on almost all dates, told the crowd at Brooklyn Monarch last night (6/8) that Drain were told it’d be almost impossible to find 1,000-cap rooms without barriers, and those are the size rooms that Drain are selling out on this tour. “Drain told booking agents ‘fuck you,'” Patrick said, “We’ll take less money, we want the place that’s more fun.” And the barrier-less Brooklyn Monarch was exactly the place for Drain and their stacked support lineup of Drug Church, Magnitude, Gel, and Combust to have as much fun as possible. For nearly every band, people were swarming the stage, jumping off of it, piling on each other, and just generally going nuts. For Drain, they were doing that while tossing beach balls, boogie boards, and pool noodles throughout the crowd. One person in a full-body shark costume–in honor of Drain’s mascot–dove into the crowd after climbing up one of the building’s support beams. Every band brought it, and the crowd gave it right back every time.

Combust, who are from NYC, kicked things off with a set of classic-style New York Hardcore. They’re super tight, super aggressive, and they got the early crowd inciting some apeshit pits. NJ’s Gel followed, and took the energy to an even higher level. Gel had people packing in, pushing, circle-pitting, stagediving–the works. They’re an absolute force on stage, and lead screamer Sami Kaiser’s charisma is truly magnetic.

North Carolina straightedge band Magnitude followed, and they might’ve had the most volatile crowd of the night. They’ve got some serious shoutalong parts, and plenty of people came ready to bark their heads off, swarm vocalist Russ Bussey, and oblige when Russ called for their set-ending pile-on. They’ve also got some serious breakdowns, and the place went off whenever they’d kick into one. Magnitude also have a new album coming later this year on Triple B, and they played a new song from it called “Rectify.” It didn’t matter that no one in the room knew it; everyone went wild regardless.

Drug Church hit the stage next, changing the vibe up from breakdowns to fist-raised choruses. They’ve got so many songs that feel like hits, they sound huge playing them, and they know exactly how to whip a crowd up into a frenzy. Patrick Kindlon’s crowd-commanding stage presence is matched by his sardonic stage banter, and when he directs the crowd to stagedive or circle-pit or crowdsurf, everyone listens.

Every band was great, and the vibe was very egalitarian; there wasn’t much of a “headliner” vs “opener” dynamic. But that said, this really did feel like Drain’s show. The beach props came out, the crowd seemed even more gigantic than it had all night, and it was clear from all the reactions and shoutalongs that Drain’s music has really caught on. They split the set between new album Living Proof and their 2020 debut LP California Cursed, and you could tell that plenty of the new songs were already fan faves; they front-loaded the set with singles from the new album like “Watch You Burn,” “FTS (KYS),” and “Evil Finds Light,” and they all got massive responses. Drain also brought the elements of Living Proof that deviate from their usual thrashy hardcore vibe, adding range to the live set just like they do on the record. They played the album’s hip hop interlude over the PA, and they did their clean-sung cover of Descendents’ “Good Good Things,” which was one of the biggest highlights of the night and it really feels like a song Drain have made their own. The band’s thrash riffs were as crisp as possible in a live setting, and they would’ve sounded truly evil if not for the fun and warmth that Sammy brings to the show. (Not to mention all the beach balls.) It really feels like Drain are something special–a razor-sharp thrash band and an uplifting positive hardcore band all at once, with a personality that’s entirely their own. Drain also let their Grateful Dead love shine; Sammy was rocking his frequently-worn Dead shirt and the band’s walk-off music was “Touch of Grey.”

If the Drain tour comes near you, don’t miss it. All remaining dates are listed below.

Drain — 2023 Tour Dates
With Drug Church, Magnitude, GEL & Combust:

06/09 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church (no Drug Church)
06/10 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage

With Drug Church, Magnitude, GEL & Restraining Order:

06/12 Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
06/13 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
06/14 Tampa, FL – Brass Mug
06/16 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
06/17 Dallas, TX – The Factory
06/18 Austin, TX – Oblivion Access Festival

With Drug Church, Magnitude & Gumm:

06/20 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
06/21 Phoenix, AZ – The Nile Underground
06/22 Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
06/23 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco Theater
06/24 Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Club