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Thou, Moloch @ The Hair Hole

Despite their lack of cleanliness and obnoxious demeanor, the crusties of Columbia, Mo. put on a good show. They came through with Louisiana’s Thou and U.K.’s Moloch at a community basement space that smelled and felt like decades-old armpits. It is also commonly known as the Hair Hole. Sweaty limbs slid off of one another as bodies crammed in around the corner space that hosted the bands. Inebriated fans packed tight as if they underestimated the power the sludge acts were about to unleash on one of their last nights of tour.

Moloch busted eardrums with downtrodden sludge. The members could barely hold still within the confines of the venue as vocalist Chris Braddock thrashed his body into the rows of soggy dreads. Although these Brits received a lot of flak for their foreign accents and sly humor throughout the evening, they proved Eyehategod worship has a place beyond the petroleum swamps of New Orleans. Sounds from Dopesick leaked through Moloch’s “Black Water,” which made bodies convulse beyond control. This was the strongest set of the evening. But Moloch streamlined it into less than 20 minutes, proving their impatience to head home at the last leg of the tour.

Thou seemed anything but tired as feedback ensued throughout their high-energy set. The members were on fire from start to finish, and it was clear Thou thrived off this uncomfortably small space. Vocalist Bryan Funck spewed words so intense, I thought his eyes would pop right out of his head. And he gave “Fucking Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean” a whole new meaning when he threatened to kill Moloch and “steal all their shit” by throwing them in the new pit of hell: the Gulf Coast. Thou served the jokes and sounds of disgust, and the crusties devoured. Although Tyrant was absent from this short set, these sweaty doom lords paid sweet homage to Nirvana by finishing with “Sifting”. Thou’s slow take on this 1989 classic pierced smiles and hearts among the crusties.

At the end, I couldn’t tell whether the rancid stench came from a comrade’s armpit or my own. Regardless, the crammed venue, fermented body odor, and damaged eardrums were well worth the facial abrasion. For once, the crust punks of Columbia deserve a cheer.

Story and photos of Thou by Jess Blumensheid

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Thou/Moloch split 12″/cassette

Samples

[audio: THOU_FLEURSDEMAL.mp3]
[audio: MOLOCH_WROLL.mp3]

Pictures

theperpetualmotionmachine.blogspot.com

Ordering information

theperpetualmotionmachine.bigcartel.com

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Thou: Discography lyrics & free download

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