FIDLAR and SWMRS sparked fire at the Madison Theater. If I feel anything after watching these two bands play is that we are in for a hell of punk rock wave in the coming years. I’m all for it. 

A moderately sized crowd inhabited the theatre. Which is understandable. It was a Wednesday after all.

Check out pics from the show HERE.

SWMRS served up an aggressive political appetizer for the evening. The singers wardrobe said it all sporting a dress and t-shirt with a very specific four letter word directed at our recently elected president. I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t hugs. I had never seen SWMRS before or even heard of them, but they clawed and screamed through their set leaving the crowd energized and ready to party.

Which is exactly the kind of atmosphere FIDLAR thrives on. The lawless nature of their music demands it. They walked out to the national anthem, which was so delightfully oxymoronic I laughed. But for a band that sings a bunch of songs about drugs and “Cheap Beer,” man do they have their lives together. 

Despite their music’s delinquency, it’s kind of amazing how much better musicians they’ve become since the last time I saw them. They didn’t talk much aside from their bass player saying thank you after every song in a squeaky voice. It was a polished and professional show, which is the opposite of their music and image. 

Their music is the kind that tells the crowd to jump and they respond how high. During “Cocaine” they had the crowd kneeling on the ground before erupting into a frenzy when the song kicked in. The band didn’t even tell them to do it. They just did it.

Engaging your audience through music is a powerful thing. I’d like to see if FIDLAR took a more serious approach for future music. They might become one of the most powerful bands in the world.