Last Friday (1/29/21) I got to check out the live stream from Housecore bands Scour and Shock Narcotic. Both of these groups are “supergroups” but I’m not going to get into that right now. I will say though that the list of bands that make up the background for each band are some of my favorites so I was kinda excited for this show. 

I really didn’t know what to expect it seems the live streams I’ve watched have run the gamut from one camera in a practice spot, to empty venues, etc. I definitely have to say this stream was one of the more “polished” that I have watched since we have entered the “new normal”. The quality was awesome and the stream itself was smooth, no glitches or any tech bugs to speak of and the audio was stellar. 

First up was Shock Narcotic jamming out at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac Michigan playing cuts from I Have Seen The Future And It Doesn’t Work. Shock Narcotic features Jeff Tuttle (formerly of The Dillinger Escape Plan), vocalist Shawn Knight (Child Bite), drummer Zach Gibson (ex-the Black Dahlia Murder, Shit Life), and bassist Don Slater (Battlecross). 

This was kinda like a music video shoot with multiple cameras moving around the band members catching different action from each player. Even though it was a stream with no audience I still dug the energy. They definitely bring it without much let-up. It was entertaining and enjoyable and if that’s all we got right now then I’ll take it. I can’t wait until I can catch these guys in person. Next up was Scour. Their segment was a bit different. This section started off with the members bullshittin’ about this and that. 

Scour features Phil Anselmo (Pantera, DOWN), John Jarvis (Agoraphobic Nosebleed), Derek Engemann (Cattle Decapitation), Mark Kloeppel (Misery Index), and Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer, Lock Up, Misery Index). Talking about the new EP, describing the songs, how they formed, and stories from the road. Also, mixed in between performance segments were clips of the band walking in the woods and cutting and collecting firewood. I’m not really sure why these segments were included but hey who the fuck am I to question it lol. Scour’s performance itself was filmed at the Lair with a straight-up shot facing the band and some other angles and close-ups of other members mixed in here and there. They played the “Trilogy” in its entirety and although I don’t think they had the same energy (kinda felt like I was watching a rehearsal with awesome filming going on) their set was blistering with a cut after cut delivering. All in all, it was really good. As I said earlier it is probably the most polished I’ve seen to date and look forward to more in the future. Although, I really liked this particular stream the only knock against it in my opinion was it wasn’t actually live. I just seem to enjoy the actual live performances over pre-recorded streams.

TORBJORN SOLGARD