Sounds of blasting music, to the point of deafness, hot and humid venue, whole body aching, to some this sounds like a sensory nightmare, to me its a personal heaven. Underground, also known as scene culture is a movement for local bands to play, share stories, lift each other up and have fun. 

The whole idea of scene culture revolves around DIY, intersectionality and equality. Going to shows and playing them with my many different bands is one of my favorite activities because it isn’t all just about listening to music, it’s also about seeing friends, making new ones, dressing up however you want and most fun of all, moshing, Some of my favorite bands in the scene to mosh to are Switch and Third Degree.

There are a lot of bands in the local scene here in Hawaii, some are better than others and I’m here to rate them. I’ll be reviewing eight bands from the local scene that I have seen multiple times and me and the other people at shows agree are some of the best. These bands are No hero, Switch, Frankengirl, GRLFRNDS, Third Degree, 13th Legion, Imposter cult, and Dreams of Future Machines. I will be ranking on a one to ten scoring system, one being bad and not enjoyable and ten being the best music i’ve heard in my life.

1. No hero – a pop punk band that is currently on hiatus until the lead singer/ guitarist gets back from college. I like to describe them as “wonderfully politically vague” because for a band whose genre is deep rooted in politics and speaking out about injustice, they’ve never once written a politically charged song and only talked about just respecting the venue and such. Overall a decent but lackluster band lacking the drive of what makes punk, punk, overall score: 5/10
2. Switch – a sister project to No hero, they are a screamo shoegaze band whose lyrics are super emotionally charged. They’re all about equality and having fun while half the members are also from no hero. overall score: 8/10 
3. Frankengirl – A solid punk and emo fusion band that talks about the members’ grievances whether that be with certain people, this Island or more oddly specifically, their hatred for New York University in their most popular song “NYU”. The band cleverly weaves sardonic lyrics with doses of crude humor and melodic guitar. Overall score: 9/10
4. GRLFRNDS – A lovely synthwave pop punk band whose music revolves both murder and love in their lyrics in a swirl of emotions drowned in heavy melodic synth. Their music can make even the most stone cold person want to dance, whether it be the upbeat and deceiving song about murder such as their song “catching girls in the 80’s” or their songs about the pure and cathartic feeling of love and the grasp someone can have over you such as in “Secret agent style” and “sticks like glue”. Overall score: 8/10
5. Third degree – A straight edge ( a movement all about refraining from using drugs, alcohol, or smoking) hardcore punk band whose heavy raw music gets everyone moshing and throwing punches and bring out the raw and visceral emotions of people sick with the day-to-day life by letting them release it out all in the mosh pit, overall score: 8/10
6. 13th Legion: An Oi band (a genre focused on unity and working class struggles) that speaks a lot about the mental anguish we all go through and the violence they see in day to day life and shows. They bring a certain energy to shows that make everyone feel apart of a singular group, no one feels left out and everyone can be themselves, but due to them being around for so long they tend to get played out and land a bit flat, overall score: 6/10
7. Imposter Cult: a stoner psychedelic progressive rock band that is only a three piece, a synth player, bass player and drummer. They most certainly make up for the lack of guitar players with insane technical bass with effects that make you feel like you’re floating through space. They also rely heavily on theatrics and performance, using smoke machines, lasers and projected psychedelic imagery that bumps it from a good performance to a great performance. Imposter Cult doesn’t play live often, but when they do, it’s extraordinary. Overall score: 9/10
8. Dreams of Future Machines: A goth rock, new wave and rock fusion band that has seen many different changes throughout its run, whether that be with the sound that they go for on their album or member lineup, switching from a 3 piece all the way to a 6 piece band. The energy they bring to shows is akin to Talking heads’ Stop Making Sense, the pure energy and joy exuding from the music and members infecting the audience and driving everyone wild. Due to the radical changes of lineup consistently, none of their shows sound like the last, if you liked the sound they had at one of their shows, you won’t see it again the next show. Because of that inconsistency I will have to lower their score. Overall score: 6/10 

A lot of shows can be attended by anyone, all ages shows are the highlight of my week. Some venues are twenty one or over due to the venue being a bar. There is no age requirement to get into the mosh pit, people just have to be conscious of how they are dancing making sure not to hurt others. Several of the venues that play at require you to show some sort of identification to know who comes in and out and make sure everyone stays safe. They are also putting in several safety nets to keep shows open to everyone such as no alcohol on the property and no crowd surfing.

Local shows prices to get in range all the way from free to twenty dollars. They usually run from 7pm to 10pm, later or earlier depending on the amount of bands. Shows play on fridays and saturdays, sometimes sundays but they end early so people can rest up for the start of the workweek. Shows are meant to be a safe space for everyone where people can lift each other up and have a good time. overall, stay safe and have fun