July 27, 2022
With the release of their most recent EP, “Inside Out,” Minneapolis-based band killusonline celebrated with a show at 7th St Entry on Tuesday night. It wasn’t long after their first song that an audience member shouted, “There’s an injury!” After determining the injuries were minimal, bassist Sean Clements turned to the audience and said sternly, “Okay, everyone, be safe. We do be lit, but we don’t want to hurt each other.” With that, the band launched into their next song, the brutal, rollicking “Any Means,” and the crowd descended into cheerful mayhem.
In a recent Radio K interview, killusonline (KUO) had faced a similarly small medical emergency. As band-aids were promptly fetched for his bleeding hands, drummer Theo Galetka had said with a laugh, “There was blood on my snare from our last show, and blood from [today’s show], too.” Vocalist Mory had interjected, “Someone bleeds at every one of our shows.” He was only semi-joking — KUO has built a steadfast following since their 2019 inception, and with it a steady flow of minor injuries. Given their notoriously rowdy live performances, anything from lip-piercings pulled out or heads hit on pillars is possible, and Tuesday’s show proved no exception.
Self-described as “experimental hip-hop” and “industrial/hardcore,” surface level comparisons can be made to alternative rap acts like Death Grips, clipping., or Ho9909, yet KUO’s live shows evade any true analogue. The group’s preternatural technical abilities, be it navigating intricate, math-y riffs or rapping verses with impressive breath control, are displayed at full force with songs like “URA GONA” and “Floor Pedal.” The band is even better live, feverish and raw, engaging the masses and whipping through tracks with ease. Mory proved himself particularly personable with the crowd, issuing a challenge to the throng: “If you’re really rocking with us, turn your shirts inside out!” In reference to their EP title, the sweat-drenched majority complied. Some even shed their shirts entirely and waved them like battle flags above their heads.
There was an intriguing mix of live energies within the members themselves — Galetka and keyboardist Rainy’s relatively composed demeanors posed a vivid contrast to Clements and guitarist Max Folina’s head thrashing. A particular highlight was when Rainy themself took to the mic, weaving through the stage effortlessly. Later on, “Free the Robots,” a Capital Steez cover, brought the house down, the ever-present mosh pit pushing up against the stage with bruising force.
As the show winded down, Mory said, half-incredulously, “Shout out to y’all for coming out on a TUESDAY!” Perhaps that was the most shocking part of the night — all this chaos took place on a Tuesday. With all-star opening acts Huhroon, RIOTGRRRLDARKO, and Twin Tombs, the crowd was keyed-up from the get-go, jockeying for space, headbanging. RIOTGRRRLDARKO proved a standout, with bass-boosted beats and amusing turns of phrase: “Imma die pretty and these hoes gon’ die mad.” Huhroon and Twin Tombs were equally adept, the former with an fascinating mix of autotune and superb live instrumentation, the latter reverb and feedback-heavy, with guttural screams into a shared mic.
Amazingly, body-slamming, crowd-surfing (not once, not twice, but five times), and climbing the rafters all took place within these too-short three hours. As the crowd clamored for an encore, I noticed friends climbing upon each others’ shoulders. The horde pushed back then pressed forth, relentless like the tide, when the band returned, wide grins on their faces. If this is the kind of havoc killusonline can wreak on a Tuesday night, there’s no telling what their future holds.
Photo Gallery
