Live music review: Punk rockers Touché Amoré celebrated ten years of Stage Four at Mohawk

One of the greatest joys of live music is when you can tell the band is having a blast. There’s an explosive connection when the joy of music and joyous fans collide. And for Touché Amoré, they came out swinging at the Mohawk, celebrating their masterpiece Stage Four turning ten.

Opening with fan favorite “Flowers and You,” the performance felt like a shared release between band and crowd. You could feel it as they moved through songs that have become personal anthems for anyone who’s dealt with loss—just as singer Jeremy Bolm did while writing about his mother’s death from cancer.

As the crowd screamed, Bolm stared into the void, grounded in the present but tethered to the past, singing to the ghost of his mother:

“I apologize for the grief
When you’d talk about belief
I didn’t know just what to say
While watching you wither away.”

Stage dives, pile-ons, fans grabbing the mic—seeing Touché Amoré is exactly what you want from a punk band: earnest, unrelenting, leaving nothing behind. As they ripped through the album, they mixed in favorites like “Gather” and “Reminder,” reigniting the room as the crowd howled every word back at them. The band felt it—an Austin crowd fully locked in, even with the weight of everything outside those walls.

Released in 2016, Stage Four isn’t just another record in their catalog—it’s a document of grief. Over the years, it’s become something people carry with them, not just listen to, the kind of album that finds you when you need it and doesn’t let go.

That’s the power of music with substance. This wasn’t a dance party or a throwaway good time—it was an exchange. A salve. Something passed between people trying to survive the same world. As fans surged toward the mic to share Bolm’s words, the band moved like a machine, dialed into their role for the people who need this music—and for each other. The room held its breath for “New Halloween,” tension building like it might crack open at any second.

There’s something increasingly rare about a space where no one feels like they have to pretend—where the noise isn’t just noise, but a way of working something out. That’s what Stage Four is to a lot of people. No matter who you are, someone’s death has probably fucked you up.

The lineup was stacked. Porcelain and Jerome’s Dream rounded out the bill, and if you’re the type to show up late, that wasn’t the night to do it. There were no weak links here.

What stands out most about Touché Amoré is the sincerity. Some people are there for a punk show. Others need something deeper. This band meets both needs. That’s what good live music does—it gives something back to the audience.. It asks you to drop your bullshit at the door or burn it out of your system. Most shows entertain. Touché Amoré gave fans something to carry home.

Featured photo by Merry Mike

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