Desert Dweller Day 2 Recap

This is Part 2 of the Desert Dweller recap. The first day was fun and full of great hardcore, moshing, and a lot of dancing. Day 2 was much of the same, it was also stacked with a good amount of heavy-hitters as well. The fest, again, took place at the Global Justice Center in Tucson, Arizona. It was booked and put together by Matt.

I have nothing but great things to say about this festival. It was just so packed with energy and genuinely good fun. The bands all performed great, and it was such a diverse showing of bands; it was something everyone could enjoy.
The bill for day 2 is as follows:

War Prison
Construct
Crossfire
By All Means
Jinx
Initiate
Regional Justice Center
Gulch
Hands of God
Vamachara
King Nine

From start to finish it was simply a good time. Each band showed up and gave all they had. Some were heavy, some were fast, some were hardcore adjacent, but were still holding down the same energy. But all were there for one thing, to celebrate hardcore and celebrate music and art.

War Prison played first, unfortunately I missed it. But if the band brought even an ounce of energy that is easily heard on their most recent release, then there should have been no stopping them. It’s a solid mix of heavy early 2000s hardcore and traditional twists. I can’t express enough how much this band is deserving of attention.

Construct played next, this band is a mix of melodic and traditional such as Quicksand, Title Fight, Gorilla Biscuits, Dag Nasty, Mouthpiece, and Better Than A Thousand. The set was thoroughly enjoyable and brought the youthful spirit of hardcore to the forefront of the fest. Sound and quality were strong as well. The band was well in sync and the volumes w
ere well-balanced. This is definitely a band worth checking out.

Initiate played a little later in the evening. This band is proof that hardcore is open for all, it simply takes an outpouring of heart and effort. I have had nothing but respect for th
is band, and that was further solidified after having the chance to see them live.

Gulch, this band is absolute chaos incarnate. The crowd was fully invested with dancers and moshers. The bands emotion, presence, and performance were visceral, physical, and very much resonated with me and it seems as if it did the same with everyone else. The bands balance and volume were completely perfect, with no sense of confusion, though there was an insane amount of chaos onstage and off. Overall, it was a highlight performance for me.

King Nine headlined. It was a total NY take over. What can I say about this band, other than it was a powerhouse of NYHC. It seemed clear that the crowd was invested in having a good time, as well as let loose in feeling the music. This band is quickly gaining traction, and having had the chance to see them in a setting such as this was a unique and enjoyable experience. The amount of people dancing, jumping around, singing along, and really letting loose was a clear showing of the power music has. The band’s sound was perfect and the entire set was purely good.

Overall, I absolutely love my experience with seeing Desert Dweller. I am grateful for the chance it gave me to meet so many new people.

Support all of these bands!
War Prison: https://warprison.bandcamp.com/releases
Construct: https://constructphx.bandcamp.com/
Crossfire: https://crossfireaz.bandcamp.com/
By All Means: https://bam253.bandcamp.com/
Jinx: https://jinxed.bandcamp.com/
Initiate: https://initiatehc.bandcamp.com/
Regional Justice Center: https://regionaljusticecenter.bandcamp.com/
Gulch: https://gulchca.bandcamp.com/
Hands of God: https://handsovgod.bandcamp.com/
Vamachara: https://vamacharahc.bandcamp.com/
King Nine: https://kingnine.bandcamp.com/