Live music review: Barcelona act Prison Affair at Mohawk with Mujeres Podridas and Gus Baldwin
Barcelona’s Prison Affair made their way to Austin to deliver a sparse yet potent dose of their overseas caffeinated “Egg Punk,” a genre gaining steam as a leading force in the crate-digging, vinyl-obsessed underground. For a Monday night at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District, a homegrown bill took the opening reins for the international touring act, all bringing their highest octane for the blistering fury the Spanish trio brings to the stage.
Gus Baldwin & The Sketch took the first slot, fresh off a nationwide tour to celebrate the release of their debut LP, The Sketch. The quartet appeared in road-ready form, slashing through their back catalog with supercharged urgency to adoring hometown attendees. All the Baldwin-led outfit members have made their way around Austin in different bands to supplement their Sketch offtime, all writing and recording records of their own to keep their chops tight and ready to be the vicious touring machine they’ve made themselves out to be. Known for their brand of sound barrier-breaking garage punk, the ferocity of The Sketch keeps escalating to devastating tsunami levels.
Mohawk is a venue known for packed, sold-out shows. Monday night’s crowd felt more leisurely, with plenty of room to mosh and post up in places where you wouldn’t catch a stage diver to the dome. Local quintet Mujeres Podridas emerged next, delivering a punch of 80s-influenced Spanish punk born from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas before making their way to Austin after the band reconvened in the eclectic Central Texas music scene. Vocalist Dru Molina took a fearsome stance throughout the onslaught, allowing her fellow bandmates little time between cuts. With members having roots in town in the vein of affiliations with Feels So Good Records, the group has been an ear-shattering presence without having to commute a long way to perform within the city limits.
Prison Affair took the stand for a closing performance, bending the headliner rules by unloading a set that progressed through each song like they were hot lava rocks in the three-piece’s hands. The European players consist of Juanma on bass and vocals, Bicis on guitar, and Adri on drums. With a recorded discography comprising mostly demos and brittle production in tow, the idea spurts are shaved down to tunes that barely break the two-minute mark.
When the blitz commenced, the audience was treated to an avalanche of lo-fi warble that could remind one of Ween’s Pure Guava days of recording to nothing but a four-track recorder. With the moshers getting in every bit of mayhem they could before the onrush reached its abrupt halt, it became a roaring certainty that the freaks showed up on a Monday night in full force. After a presentation that didn’t exceed 20 minutes, the joint was abruptly wrapped, with no hopes for an encore due to the impending early-week curfew.
Prison Affair continues down the road until the end of the month before heading back overseas for another run of shows. Tickets can be found via bandsintown.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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