Drug Church Takes Over The Secret Group in Houston

Legendary punk rockers, Drug Church, bring the PRUDE tour to The Secret Group in Houston, with special guests Modern Color, Soul Blind and PONY.

Houston’s punk community gathered this Monday night at The Secret Group to see the legendary rock band from Albany, Drug Church. Even before doors, the group waiting outside was buzzing with excitement, making a beeline straight for the front of the stage once let in. 

Tonight’s event included a stacked four band line up, and up first was Toronto’s power pop band, PONY. With song’s that feel like they could be in the soundtrack of a 90s teenage, coming-of-age movie, PONY gave a bright, high energy, performance that had the crowd dancing immediately. 

Soon the second band entered the stage and picked up their guitars, leaving the crowd hanging in a tense moment of silence while they anticipated what was next. In an instant, Hudson Valley’s Soul Blind, tore into their opening song, filling the venue with their 90s grunge inspired wall of sound. As they dove deeper into their set, the crowd opened up the pit and let loose, fueled by Soul Blind delivering their thickest and heaviest riffs. 

As the night progressed it was time for South Bay, California’s Modern Color to take the stage. Modern Color is loud and high energy, driving and melodic at the same time, while their lyrics have a relatable, story telling, quality that clearly resonated with audience members. At this point of the night the crowd was dense and packed in tightly, while people were singing their favorite lyrics at the top of their lungs. During their last song a fan jumped on stage, grabbed a microphone, and finished screaming the lyrics while Modern Color rocked as hard as they could.

Finally, it was time for Drug Church to take the stage. At this point of the evening if there was anything the crowd was holding back they let it go as Drug Church went into their first song. Drug Church is a band people connect with, it’s a band who has spent over a decade building an audience of people who feel seen by their music, and this was the space for everyone to celebrate. And celebrate they did, with stage diving, crowd surfing and big circle pits.

To say Drug Church is just a punk band isn’t giving them enough credit, their music is aggressive, melodic, tongue-in-cheek, and yet so genuine and honest. Despite their fifth studio album, PRUDE, having just been released earlier in October, fans knew every single word to every single song. The connection between the listener and the band is what makes Drug Church so special, and it’s what makes a Drug Church show so uniquely fun. 

After the night ended, tired, sweaty fans made their way to the merch line. There was a strangely peaceful energy in the room, as if everyone had just had some collective therapeutic experience. Not every show feels so personal, but this one certainly did, and that seems to be the real magic of Drug Church.