Rising shoegaze stars Midrift closed out their Texas run with support from Houston’s own Nothing After Death and Exossi.
As the shoegaze genre continues to gain popularity, a new wave of bands like Wisp, Glare and Glixen have emerged, elevating the genre to new heights. Among them is Midrift, a band making waves both on Spotify and within the scene. Hailing from the Bay Area, Midrift is composed of childhood friends Gus, Manoa and Kai.
The night kicked off with local shoegaze band Exossi. Exossi has a deep connection with their fans, and the support was reciprocated. You could see fans in their Exossi shirts, singing the lyrics back to the band and engaging with the performance. It’s amazing to see such support for a local opener, creating a buzz within their scene. Exossi played their latest release, “gloom,” with fans singing along. Fans who enjoy Flyingfish and Quanainc will definitely appreciate this artist.
Nothing After Death followed, delivering a heavy set with rumbling bass, smashing drums and distorted riffs. The four-piece band is noisy and offers a unique take on shoegaze. Songs like “Spiral” and their instrumental track had fans in a trance as the sounds washed over them. Fans who enjoy the nosier side of Shoegaze such as bands like They’re Gutting a Body of Water and Juggler could dig this local act.
Midrift was up next, and as soon as the band took the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers. They opened with their latest single, “into place,” which features catchy guitar riffs building up to a powerful breakdown. The audience responded by jumping and pushing each other closer to the stage throughout the song. As a three-piece band, Midrift draws from a variety of influences, including Whirr, Title Fight, The Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth. The fans continued to roar and headbang as the band played popular tracks such as Unrequited. Before performing their most-streamed song, which has seventeen million streams, the band played the crowd to a drum solo that transitioned into “Twin Flames.” This moment inspired fans to crowd surf and record the memorable experience on their phones.The band concluded the night by announcing that this would be their last performance of a particular cover. Gus then began strumming the iconic intro to “Head in the Ceiling Fan” by Title Fight. The fans’ demand for an encore was met with enthusiasm, and the show delivered everything fans could have hoped for. Midrift is on route to make a mark by crafting catchy shoegaze tracks and expanding their cult like following.
I am a Houston-based photographer who has been attending concerts since MP3 players were a thing. I graduated from the University of Houston in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in advertising. In my free time, you can find me headbanging at hardcore/rock shows, collecting movies, and training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu!
