Saying It Loud with Enola Gay
For some, Sunday means quiet relaxation before the start of a busy week. For Enola Gay, it means bringing down the house at Beat Kitchen. The Belfast crew stopped by as part of their first American headline tour, along with local favorites Low Animal and Rotundos.
Opening up the stage was Low Animal, an experimental hardcore group. The five members, consisting of Matthew Meifert, Trevor Burns, Connor McKenzie, Andrew Smith and Patrick Greenwood instantly brought the noise, filling the room with sound. It’s not always easy being the first band on the bill, so it was exciting to see the energy level immediately raised by their presence. They played songs from their latest EP, New Nature, which was full of head-banging rhythm. For the final song, the bassist got off stage and threw his instrument around, kicking and jumping around in a musical tantrum. This was just a taste of what the rest of the evening would bring.
Next up were Rotundos, another local band consisting of Jacob Padilla-Caldero, Jose Israel, Juan Arango & Henry Speer. Where Low Animal was headstrong hard rock, Rotundos were more of a lovestruck beach rock. Their on-stage presence was all smiles, and it was clear they had a crowd of supporters cheering them on. Fans even shouted happy birthdays to Juan, who just celebrated a few days prior. They played a mix of their discography, including songs from their latest EP, Fragments. Their song, “Maybe?” got everyone dancing with its catchy hook and quick rhythmic pickups. By the end of the set everyone was properly excited for the headliners to come on stage.
Enola Gay’s pre-show music was the cherry on top of the evening’s atmosphere, ranging from Viagra Boys to JPEGMAFIA to Justice. It’s a little insight into their musical influences and the way they seamlessly genre-hop. As the lights went down, an excitement spread through the crowd. The band walked on stage and the crowd shifted, already prepping to start a pit. The lead singer seemed to motion the crowd to get moving, and as the music played everything fell into place. Members Fionn Reilly, Joe McVeigh, Luke Beirne and Adam Cooper skyrocketed into noisy punk shoegaze rap that overtook the whole building. Audience members were swallowed in sweat, jumping on each other’s backs and running in the pit.
The band’s music not only is an impressive feat of genre bending, but the lyricism tackles issues regarding politics, hate crimes and cultural frustrations. Their song “The Birth of a Nation” calls out police brutality with ringing instrumentation and a bass line that calls something deep within its listeners. Guitarist Joe McVeigh even spoke on one of their songs being written about when he was attacked, leaving him with a fractured skull. Unfortunately when after an incredibly inspirational speech about hate and taking care of one other, two crowd members ended up in a fight. Eventually the lead singer had to call out one of the audience members for ruining the experience for others. It left me with a higher respect for the band, who call attention to major issues, and also are not afraid to call out their own show attendees for inappropriate behavior.
The end of the evening came too soon as the band announced their final song. Left with pulsing adrenaline and a sense of purpose, audience members said goodbye to Enola Gay, who expressed their gratitude to their fans. With it only being their second time in America, they mentioned the pure joy they felt at seeing people show up to their gigs. You can keep up with Enola Gay on Instagram as well as Rotundos and Low Animal.