Two years ago, as the co-host of a d.i.y. venue in Philadelphia, I found myself serving warm beers and soggy tofu to some very agreeable gents from Argentina. This was my first encounter with Boom Boom Kid and his band. They seemed to be a rather mild-mannered bunch, but that quiet persona was shed in the frenzy which ensued from the moment they took the stage.

Kristen and I went to the merch table before they started playing to find a zine filled with raw and real doom and gloom illustrations with real issues with fiery outcomes. It depicted the rapist getting paid for his murderous deeds in an eternity of hellish pain. This started up interest enough for the both of us and we went straight up to the front. Within 30 seconds of their first song the room was packed and half of us were dancing. Marissa’s voice is powerful in all the best …