ALBANY, N.Y. – You could sense the anticipation in the air.
Navigating en masse down an unmarked alleyway, past a series of overflowing dumpsters and water-filled craters, finally coming upon the industrial-style façade of Empire Underground (with its upcoming concert dates written in chalk on the wall), it was clear that this was the place to be in Albany on this night; like you’d just stumbled upon the gathering of a secret society. The feeling was only confirmed upon entering the packed, humid basement club.
Why the excitement? Empire Underground—the smaller venue below the larger Empire Live venue on ground level—hosted a five-band bill featuring local post-hardcore heroes Drug Church, who rolled their van back home for a one-night stop on their current nationwide headlining tour. And despite the surprisingly diverse crowd of attendees, they’d all clearly gathered for one reason: to welcome back one of the hottest underground bands in the 518 scene.
It’s oddly ironic but totally fitting that Drug Church—a band formed more than 10 years ago in the Capital Region, admittedly without any real aspirations of widespread fame—just dropped one of the early contenders for inclusion on many punk/hardcore scene album(s) of the year lists. Released in March on Pure Noise Records after sitting on the shelf during the pandemic, Hygiene is the band’s fourth full-length, and pushes their already eclectic sound into even more expansive territory, from raw riff-based hardcore to ambient post-hardcore, to fuzzy ’90s style Seaweed-inspired grunge-punk.
It’s an incredibly mature and sonically inventive album that showcases how far Drug Church—vocalist Patrick Kindlon, guitarist Cory Galusha, guitarist Nick Cogan, bassist Patrick Wynne and drummer Chris Villeneuve—has come over the last decade of recording and touring.
That evolution was also evident at the band’s recent hometown headlining gig at Empire Underground. With a tightly paced, fat-free set predominantly comprised of new material off Hygiene and their previous full-length, 2018’s Cheer, as well as the 2021 EP Tawny, Drug Church showcased why the band has transcended the local 518 scene to become a legitimate international touring entity.
After spirited performances by a rock-solid lineup of supporting bands that consisted of Pile of Love, LURK, Soul Blind and One Step Closer, it was time for Drug Church to bring the jams. Opening with the mosh-inducing crunch of “Grubby,” Drug Church ignited a frenzy on the show floor that continued throughout the song (and set), carrying the energy straight into another Cheer standout, “Avoidarama,” with its bass-heavy mid-tempo bounce, and then a new track: the acerbic, “World Impact.” The band exhibited an almost immediate command of the stage and crowd, with the musical quartet of Galusha, Cogan, Wynne and Villeneuve locked into a tight, masterful sync. Frontman Patrick Kindlon exuded amused confidence, seeming more concerned for the well-being of the stage divers than much else.
“We’re a gateway band for a lot of people,” he explained during one break, before giving newbies instructions on how to properly catch people who’ve leapt from the stage.
I’m guessing he uses that line a lot, because indeed, Drug Church has moved way beyond just the hardcore/skate-punk world where they began. As the band’s set continued and they dug more into recent material, like the Hygiene track “Fun’s Over,” with its crunchy, ultra-catchy riff and fuzzy bass tones, or the driving slam of “Bliss Out,” off Tawny, it was apparent there are many reasons to love Drug Church. That’s how the evening culminated: Big, burly dudes pushing 40, happily moshing alongside five-foot-tall women, alongside six-foot-plus-tall punks dressed in drag. Crowd surfers dangled from the rafters of the club and tumbled over outstretched arms, while Kindlon instructed audience members to help hold the divers up. Once everyone got on the same page, it was electric.
The only relatively older Drug Church material came mid-set, when they slowed the tempo for a moment and broke out “But Does It Work?” off 2015’s Swell EP, and “Banco Popular,” from the 2015 full-length Hit Your Head. From there it was straight back into new tracks “Tiresome” and “Million Miles of Fun,” which both spotlight how the Hygiene material takes the band’s heaviness into exciting new territory; the latter again recalling the ’90s alt vibe that’s recently been creeping into Drug Church’s sound.
Finally, the band went with a block of songs from Cheer to close the show: the melodic thump of “Unlicensed Guidance Counselor” gave way to its up-tempo companion, “Unlicensed Hall Monitor,” then came to a close with the crushing pulse of “Weed Pin,” inspiring the crowd to slam until the very last note. And then just like that, it was over; no encore, no bullshit.
As folks filed out of the club afterward, past merch tables that were thankfully mobbed, you could again sense that we’d all experienced something special; a musical secret that is unlikely to remain a secret for very much longer. The next time Drug Church plays Empire, you could be watching them upstairs.
