There was a massive white curtain draped over the stage on Terminal 5, and as the intro notes to “Blinding Faith” started chugging, it dropped. At this exact moment, the entire crowd erupted into a mosh pit. The pit actually became the pit. It was by far the most lively show we’ve seen this year. Having a hardcore band expand to this massive size means the shows are more grandiose in production and on a larger scale in terms of the rooms they play. During “Counting Worms,” all 3,000 New York fans of Knocked Loose started barking. On “Mistakes Like Fractures,” the audience became flooded with fellow attendees crowd-surfing. It was a mass of bodies on top of bodies (in the best, most punk rock way possible). This concert on May 31 made for the kind of night that feels like a movie to look back on; something so perfect it had to be directed.
Knocked Loose’s setlist was fantastic. It highlighted every album and EP flawlessly. The band played three tracks off their new album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, both of the Upon Loss singles, another three tracks off their 2021 EP A Tear In The Fabric of Life, five songs off of 2019’s A Different Shade of Blue, and three tracks from their debut full-length, Laugh Tracks. Ending the show with the song “Everything Is Quiet Now” was ironic, too, because it was easily the loudest moment of the night.
Overall, the impact Knocked Loose is having right now can be felt in every state and every country. They’re becoming the titans of hardcore, and with New Jersey/New York forever being a hot spot for the genre, their show here was a one we’ll never forget.
Photos by Valentino Petrarca
