Concert/Album Review: Badflower in Norfolk, VA
Nothing is better than going to see a band and being surprised with an amazing opener. That’s exactly how I discovered the LA-based band Badflower. I was at the Norva in Norfolk, VA to see The Struts play. I had no idea who was opening, and was honestly just hoping they went by fast so I could get to the main act. The second that Badflower started playing I was hooked by their master storytelling. The lead singer, Josh Katz, performed with a captivating intensity. The entire show I felt as if he was singing straight to me. When both the guitarist, Joey Marrow, and the bassist, Alex Espiritu, played I could feel the emotion radiating from the stage.
On February 22, they released their debut album Ok, I’m Sick via Big Machine Records. The first song off the album, “x ANA x”, is a high-intensity, fast-paced look into Katz’s personal struggle with panic attacks on stage and overcoming them. If the goal was to put the listener in the same state of anxiousness while listening, they definitely succeeded. The third song, “Ghost,” is my personal favorite off the album. The desperation in Katz’s voice paints a vivid picture of the loneliness and pain that accompanies thoughts of suicide or self-harm. “Daddy,” the sixth song on the album, is by far the most disconcerting. It leaves you with a sense of anger over the story of a child dealing with an alcoholic father who sexually abused her and the emotional turmoil that comes along with it. Another one of my favorites, the song “Die” is a full force "fuck you" to the Trump administration with its highly political and grungy lyrics. It’s followed by another political anthem “Murder Games” which calls out animal cruelty in the meat industry. The album closes on a mellow yet eerie note with the song “Cry." Overall, Badflower did an amazing job with their varied styles and undeniable way of getting their point across. If this album is any indication of how their future will turn out, I’d say we will be hearing a lot more about them soon.
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