Punk rock didn’t just visit Albany on Sunday, September 28. It tore the basement wide open, stomped on it, spit in its face, and left it grinning. Empire Underground hosted The Dwarves, and if you weren’t there, you flat-out missed the kind of show that proves punk isn’t just alive, it’s rabid and hungry.
Forget the weak, overproduced music people call “punk” these days. This wasn’t some whiny, bubble gum pop-punk singalong with fans decked out in Hot Topic, mall-store cosplay attire. It was the real deal. Loud, mean and almost enough to make your PTSD a backup singer. Upstairs at Empire Live, Blackbraid was busy painting the ceiling black with his one-man melodic metal. But downstairs in the Underground, the Dwarves were busy setting fire to the foundation.
Blast Craze kicked things off with a burst of energy. They were sharp enough to grab the crowd’s attention. They set the stage perfectly, but it was Albany’s own Trauma School Dropouts who truly fired the starting gun.
From the first note, they dominated the room with a set that was tight, nasty, and straight-up unforgettable. Singer Duane Beer manned the mic in an NYPD button-down, snarling and commanding every eye in the room, while their bassist gleamed in gold from head to toe. A low end monster who was equal part champagne hangover and disco-ball war crime.
No filler, just relentless hometown punk that bites hard and refuses to quit. Trauma School Dropouts proved why Albany’s scene still matters — they weren’t just good, they were incendiary.
The Dwarves came in like a wrecking ball. Blag Dahlia strutted up with that shit-eating grin and kept hammering one point home: the Dwarves are legends, the last true old-school punk band still standing. And he’s right. Nobody else out there is delivering this brand of blood-and-guts punk anymore. Their shows aren’t nostalgia trips; they’re still old school dangerous. That’s the difference.
The set was pure chaos in motion. Songs snapped off like firecrackers, barely two minutes apiece, stacked on top of each other until the room blurred. Blag barked, spat, and sneered like a man who’s been doing this for decades and still knows exactly how to take a crowd’s head off.
Guitars screamed, drums hit like a blunt force object, and the crowd surged back and forth between reckless fun and pure release. Lose focus for a second and the set would steamroll right past you. Highlights? Plenty. “We Only Came to Get High” detonated the room. “Voodoo” hit like a sledgehammer. “I Will Deny” still plays out like a middle finger raised high enough to block out the lights.
Between songs, Dahlia didn’t waste time. He kept the pace relentless. No long breaks, no drawn-out chatter, just enough breath to slam into the next track. It felt like the band was daring the crowd to keep up, driving the set forward like a runaway train. The energy never dipped, and the momentum made the whole room feel like it could combust at any second.
Empire Underground was the perfect space for this kind of night. Low ceilings, walls that feel like they’re sweating with you, a sound mix that shoved the vocals right into your skull, it was a punk show in every sense. Forget fancy drinks and polished clubs. Punk doesn’t belong upstairs, it belongs in the basement, and that basement shook.
This wasn’t a “remember when” night. It wasn’t about reliving the past. It was about survival. The Dwarves haven’t mellowed, haven’t softened, and sure as hell haven’t cleaned themselves up. They’re still offensive, still proud to be the band your parents warned you about. The crowd got it. Every chorus got louder, every break sharper, and the room fed on itself until the very end.
People walked out into the Albany night looking wrecked in the best way, with voices shot and smiles plastered across sweaty faces. Some looked like they’d survived a car crash. Others looked like they’d just found religion. That’s what a real punk show does. It doesn’t just entertain you. It rattles you, shakes you, and dares you to forget it.
Blag Dahlia wasn’t lying. The Dwarves aren’t just legends. They’re survivors. Maybe the last true punk band still doing it without compromise. Punk isn’t dead. It’s thriving on the ground floor. And last night in Albany, it was alive, filthy, and louder than ever.
Trauma School Dropouts Setlist: Late Nite, Love Still Kills, Commercial Free, Got Head, Miss Liberty, Toss Off, Mail Order Bride, Ex Girl, Days and Counting, Fucked Up Again, Bang Bang Lulu, Hurry Up Harry
The Dwarves Setlist: Ripper Intro, Dominator, Way Out, Voodoo, Roxette, Devil’s Level, How it’s Done, Backseat Of My Car, Let’s Fuck, Drugstore, Like You Want, Act Like You Knoe, Relentless, Demonica, We Are The Scene, We Only Came To Get High, Satan, Get Up & Get High, You Gotta Burn, Astro Boy, Fuck You Up & Get High, Anybody Out There, I Will Deny, Everybodies Girl, We Must Have Blood, Unrepentant
Comments are closed.