KEN Mode, Rosetta, Engineer & My America played Union Pool

words by BBG, photos by Brian Reilly

The unreal KEN Mode at Union Pool

Rosetta, KEN Mode, Engineer, and My America did their damnedest to destroy Union Pool on Friday (5/28) as part of a BV/1000Knives production.

My America opened the show at the stroke of 8:45 with their Louisville take on Am-Rep punk. It was my third time seeing the band as of late. Each time I left as impressed with the band's tone and intensity. And dudes have tunes!

As a fan of Engineer, it was fascinating to hear the band's set of mostly new material. With a greater focus on songcraft and melody, the songs seemed to have more light and shade and less pedal-to-the-floor bombast that could be found on earlier releases like 2008's The Dregs. That's not to say this band was anything but pummeling, it's just that the new material varies in it's assault.

I defy any fan of Unsane, Today Is The Day, Am-Rep, and/or noisy, thundering punk to not absolutely love KEN Mode. The Canadian band's high-energy performance was my highlight of my evening. Their take on noise rock filtered through a hardcore lens was furious, energetic, menacing and ultimately, very impressive. I already can't wait for their NYC return. Word is that the band will do their next NYC date surrounding the recording of their new LP at GodCity with Kurt Ballou! That LP will see the light of day on Profound Lore, though an official date is still TBD.

Rosetta headlined the evening, and as usual, the Philadelphia band played a swelling, but ultimately muscular set culled from their recent A Determinism of Morality LP (out NOW on Translation Loss). Less than 24 hours later, the band would play ABC No Rio (a different set, by the way) with Starkweather.

More pics and some video from the Union Pool show are below...

--

My America

My America