Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: WCCR Brings Local Punk Up-and-Comers to the Campus Center for a Night of Music and Moshing

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Story and pictures by Julio Dagand

On any given Thursday night, the Raptor Roost in Rutgers University–Camden’s Student Center basement is a fairly quiet place. Studying, campus club events, or even just people using the space to play a game or go on their phones are all that can usually be seen in this miniature agora.

However, on the evening of Thursday, February 29, the familiar little assembly room was transformed into a ground zero for a cacophony of the loud music, even louder hair and clothes, and chaotic moshing that can only be found at a punk rock concert. This was courtesy of four local New Jersey punk rock acts that had been invited over to the Roost by WCCR President Joey Lescht and the minds at Rutgers Camden Radical Media, the new name given to Rutgers Camden’s very own radio station. The four acts were El Dingo, Red Kings, Comethead, and Violent Highs. The admission was free, meaning that any wandering soul was welcome to partake. The only requirement or request of any kind? Earplugs on at the door. “We sound better with plugs in, yall!” belted the frontman of Audubon band El DIngo as they kicked off the night’s first set with their songs “Tunnelrat” and “Seinfeld”.

Next came Red Kings, who forewent the standard drummer and guitarists setup for a simpler synth set up to complement their electric punk stylings.

Representing Rutgers Camden’s very own student body, Comethead provided the penultimate performance of the evening in their own inimitable style. With runny mascara and unmistakable goldenrod-colored hair done up in liberty spikes, Comethead’s “Conkrete Commando” took charge of the microphone and of the evening alongside his bandmate “Swampratt”. Moshing with the audience and baring their chests and backs for the audience to decorate in body paint, Comethead proved to be natural born showmen.

The Conkrete Commando, in addition to playing with Comethead, is a WCCR DJ and one of the masterminds behind the free concert. The concert itself is an extension of the WCCR’s rebrand as “Radical Media Rutgers Camden” and a follow up to last semester’s Halloween Bash. An Urban Studies major from Texas, he met the student known now as Swampratt in a calculus class before forming Comethead, and the duo soon resolved to bring some punk energy to Rutgers–Camden. With Swampratt giving only the word “chaos” when asked for a mission statement, it would appear that, for now, the duo have gotten their wish.

The evening’s final punk offerings came from a band called Violent Highs, headed by Philadelphia born rapper Tawobi. When asked to describe the band’s sound, he simply smirked and offered an unprintable two word response. This eclectic energy showed in the performance they gave, marked by Tawobi’s distinctive scratchy vocals and rolled-back eyes. Tawobi said that the main driving force behind the band from his perspective was a desire to critique things like gentrification and racism, themes that also feature predominantly in his solo career.

WCCR will be hosting events similar to this show in the future, and are hosting a variety of shows throughout the week on the station accessible through https://wccr.camden.rutgers.edu.