It’s been a good while since Iceage came back to these parts. They graced Lawrence a couple of years ago, and shortly after that they hit up Middle of the Map Fest in Kansas City. On Saturday night, the Danish punk rockers returned for a ruckus-rousing set at the Jackpot once again.

Iceage is intimidating as hell. The sound is delightfully coarse and rugged, and (to the audience’s extreme delight) they are completely unpredictable onstage. The band remains planted in their positions, while the frontman paces about any space that is available to him. Though, he prefers hurling himself into the crowd as much as possible, and the fans happily welcome him with open arms.

Those fans are just as much fun to watch as the band. In the past, we’ve seen them absolutely destroy venues like the Jackpot and the Riot Room. On this night, they destroyed each other, their bodies slamming about the place and only occasionally tempted with the tiniest of circle pits. Most of the time, however, they were in absolute awe. It’s no wonder, considering the alluringly rugged nature of the band.

Iceage was paired up with Helm, an industrial act featuring a mastermind who enjoyed performing in complete darkness, using only a flashlight to poke around his machines. Local rockers Major Games opened up the night with their equally loud and aggressive set.

Words and photos by Fally Afani