Friday night was really a who’s who in the local rock scene at the Bottleneck. Rockers of every age from various backgrounds came together to show their solidarity in a massive fundraiser for Palestine. Five (five!!!) bands squeezed together in a small amount of time at the longtime Lawrence venue in an effort to raise funds to send directly to families in need in Palestine (specifically, Gaza).
The event, orchestrated by Bloodbank LFK, KU Students for Justice in Palestine, and I Heart Local Music, had everyone’s solidarity on full display doing what the music scene loves the most: rocking out. All fundraising aside, this was also a unique opportunity for various generations of rockers to get to know each other more (both on and offstage). We saw the new young bands in town share the stage with some of the more established acts, introducing their fans to each other and throwing down hard in the pit.
Toasterbath, who started off the evening, brought all the vibes of your favorite 90’s Lilith Fair act (we’re a big fan of Lilith Fair, and attended one of the festivals in the 90’s). They were so likable, and won the crowd over with their Cranberries cover. Flatline, we have decided, are absolute maniacs. We love the carefully curated chaos their fans brought to the pit, and they’re the epitome of what a fresh young punk band should be: energetic, righteous, and just bananas. The Flaming Ghoulies (previously just Ghoulies) are a well-loved local act who bring the 60’s cool vibe together with raw garage punk, and the result is a rock-and-roll romp that everyone can get down with. Just don’t search for them online, as they refuse to have a social media presence (which is punk as fuck if you ask us).
Sweeping Promises (who are well loved in Lawrence) were one of the big draws of the night, making a rare local appearance (they’re almost always on tour) with their new-wave garage sound. Metal band Drifter rounded out the night and won some new fans over. Listen, we cannot stress this enough: Drifter is best experienced live. It’s a sound you have to absorb and let overwhelm you, because that’s how it’s meant to be. Let it melt your face right onto the sticky floor of The Bottleneck.
The event fundraised money for several families in Gaza, but we’d like to specifically draw attention to one of the victims of the genocide, former KU Jayhawk Farah Al-Helou, whose home was destroyed immediately upon returning from Lawrence. If you’d like to learn more about fundraising efforts for the victims, please follow KU Students for Justice in Palestine on Instagram.