KNOCKED LOOSE with Danny Brown, Drain, and Militarie Gun
The Observatory Festival Grounds
Santa Ana, CA
10.26.24
LIVE REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARILYN BELL
Upon looking at the lineup, it seemed to lack cohesion. Los Angeles’ Militarie Gun isn’t a band many would expect to open for Knocked Loose, but that didn’t matter once they started off the night. Their energetic melodic hardcore got the crowd moving and had some circle pit action. It was a short set, but they packed it with crowd pleasers, including “Very High” and the latest single “Thought You Were Waving.” They ended with fan favorite “Do It Faster,” but they only played it once versus the three-peat they sometimes do at headlining shows.
Up next was Drain from Santa Cruz with a frenetic display of hardcore punk/thrash. Vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro was all over the place, crowdsurfing just minutes after taking the stage. It would be easy to catch a swinging arm or kicking leg on stage with him. Luckily for the fans, he wasn’t in the pit. The set list was made up of songs from 2020’s California Cursed and 2023’s Living Proof, including Descendents cover “Good Good Things.”
Seeming the most out of place on the lineup, but in the direct support slot, was rapper Danny Brown coming off last year’s collab album with JPEG Mafia, Scaring the Hoes, and his solo release Quaranta. Brown has played at the Gathering of the Juggaloes, so he’s used to bouncing around on lineups of different genres. His set was straight rap/hip-hop, with no rock or metal pandering.
When Oldham, Kentucky’s (it’s on the merch) Knocked Loose took the stage, it was mayhem. Their blistering sound bounced between hardcore and metalcore. While Drain’s show was almost equally physical, Knocked Loose pummels with its music. Vocalist Bryan Garris moves around the stage and jumps around, but he often comes off as laid-back and relaxed when not belting out his screaming vocals. There was a brief pause toward the beginning of the set due to an injury in the crowd, then it was back to circle pit city. Stepping in during Poppy’s part of “Suffocate” was Taylar Glasgow, Knocked Loose’s lighting director, throwing the crowd into a frenzy before the final song “Sit & Mourn.”
