If you’re prone to celebrating high times with your buds (heh), then Thursday’s Replay show is probably where you ended up. The venue switched their regular Three-Headed-Thursday event to Five-Headed-Thursday, as revelers wound up in headbanger heaven with five different brands of hardcore, punk, and sludgy metal to celebrate 4/20.

Nancy Boys / Photo by Fally Afani
Nancy Boys / Photo by Fally Afani

The night started off with Bloom. You don’t have to be high to enjoy Bloom. The vocals are what sets them apart from their metal sludge peers, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed with joy when listening to the band rock out. Nancy Boys followed with by far the rowdiest set of the night. You may recall their explosive entrance into the scene earlier this year, and Thursday’s set was equally (if not more) rambunctious.

The Black Hand / Photo by Fally Afani
The Black Hand / Photo by Fally Afani

 

 

 

 

 

With temperaments high, The Black Hand followed with an equally raucous-rousing set and a sound reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine. The Kansas City band’s vocalist was constantly finding ways to keep his feet off the ground. Most of the time, he was perched on top of a monitor or chair like a menacing gargoyle, watching a swirling crowd of destruction below.

Stone Grower were the droniest of the lot, giving the audience the only moment to actually catch their breaths that night. Stone Grower is likely the closest you can get to feeling stoned without actually lighting up. This is thanks to their Sabbath-esque ballads and disarming fog-encompassing presence. The drummer contributed to this ambiance by sporting a gas mask.

Gnarly Davidson, the Grand Marshall of this stoner fest, rounded out the night with their signature lawless set. Lawrence bands have yet to play with as much furor as Gnarly Davidson. None of the currently active acts can go from zero to 60 quite like they can, with hardly a moment to pause or catch their breaths (like they even need to). They’ve perfected the technical side of their metal noise, leaving room for turbulence, mischievousness, and above all freedom to celebrate the very spirit of rebelliousness.

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Fally Afani is an award-winning journalist with a career spanning more than 20 years in media. She has worked extensively in radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and more.

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