Live music review: Screamo legends Orchid led stacked bill at Mohawk
Amherst, Massachusetts screamo legends Orchid came through Austin and led a stacked bill on January 20, a show that felt like it almost didn’t happen due to its original booking at the in-crisis Empire Control Room & Garage. Fortunately, the show was moved to the Red River Cultural District stronghold, Mohawk, and music fans packed the venue for a catharsis much needed after a tough ending for the Austin live music scene in 2025. For the packed onslaught at Mohawk, Orchid assembled a night of blistering fury.
Orchid formed in 1997 and made three records before disbanding in 2002 to focus on other projects such as Violent Bullshit, Ritual Mess, and Ampere. In 2024, they found themselves back together, playing for a whole new generation that had never experienced their loud, gleefully violent spectacle.
With the tragic loss of Empire and Red River Cultural District figurehead Dick Chalmers, and the recent employee exodus due to bounced paychecks and lay-offs from said venue, many hardworking industry workers have scrambled to find new jobs. For Tuesday’s gig in the RRCD, the displaced workers gathered to raise money through fan donations to help one another make up for the loss of income. You can donate directly via Venmo or on Cash App at $exempirefund to support the cause.
Austin post-hardcore scene leaders Porcelain kicked things off for the evening, a performance that featured previously unheard material alongside their acclaimed debut S/T, which has earned them opening spots for the likes of Agriculture, Chat Pile, and Pelican. The sound of the local group is abrasive, melodic, and cathartic.
The instrumentals typically build searing tension before exploding into a wall of noise, then into a blissful comedown that fits right in with their rowdy Austin contemporaries like Mugger, Exotic Fruitica, and Fuck Money. Co-vocalists Steve Pike and Ryan Fitzgibbon share dreamy, smokescreened harmonies, a massive feat that makes the quartet one of the city’s most undeniable forces.
New York City industrial noise masterminds Uniform took the reins next, a heavily anticipated set for the early-week bill. Appearing as a duo of frontman Mike Berdan and guitarist Ben Greenberg, the group was missing its rhythm section for its Austin stop. Nonetheless, they made it work, and the backing tracks punched through with earthquake magnitude.
Uniform released their fifth studio outing in 2024 in the form of American Standard, an effort that comes in with their most locked-in batch of tracks yet. The harrowing nature of Uniform is built to terrify listeners into a scream-filled oblivion. It’s a kind of relentless honesty that feels necessary in this day and age. Berdan could be seen wearing a sling on his arm after a recent shoulder procedure. He might be hurting, but the guy showed up and played through the pain like a pro.
Austin blackened grindcore shapeshifters Portrayal of Guilt took the stage as the final opener, a trio packed with many different forms, sounds, and unparalleled mechanical ability that makes them one of Austin’s most exciting underground acts. The PoG players are all musical lifers, carving out a niche for themselves in shoegaze, punk, and brooding experimentalism.
The tunes that make up their setlists come at a rapid-fire pace, with all the blastbeats and shrieked vocals an extreme metal purist could ask for. The Austin band promised new material in 2026 to follow up on their widely covered and acclaimed 2023 LP, Devil Music. If the mix of black metal and orchestral elements are any indication, the possibilities are endless, and the stakes are high.
Orchid’s influence cannot be overstated. They didn’t just influence a handful of bands; they helped steer the ship of emotional hardcore into a lane that paved the way for many, and they remain a reference point that echoes to this day. With their explosive, hyper-short song form, resulting in blastbeat-adjacent drumming and ear-piercing vocals, the intensity outweighs the need for melodic presence. It seeks to annihilate everything in its path.
The mosh pit was explosive with Orchid’s Mohawk appearance, leading many to tap out and rotate their positions in the crowd as crowd surfers and stage divers turned the joint into a mayhem-ridden, wall-bursting phenomenon. The setlist consisted of a whopping 27 tracks, and with their array of fan-favorites, an evening of musical unification took place. We needed a night like that here in the live music capital.
Austin served as the only U.S. date for this run, with the band heading to South America for another run of shows.
If you wish to continue supporting those displaced by Empire, a benefit is being held at the 29th Street Ballroom on February 5. Tickets can be found here.
All photos by Justin Clark
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