On Tuesday, June 14th, 2022, Los Angeles-based industrial band HEALTH, with friends from YOUTH CODE, hit Klub Zaścianek in Krakow as part of their East-European Tour. The show was organized by the booking agency Winiary Bookings and was set to start at 20:00.
The stage was minimalistic, with no decoration, no photo pit, a massive turntable, mic stands, electric guitars, and a drum kit. The opening band was YOUTH CODE, hailing from California. The duo hit the audience with a wall of noise and distorted beats with harsh vocals. It was rough, it was loud, it was hardcore! The energy coming from frontwoman Sara Taylor was raw and in your face. At some point, Sara went down to the audience with the mic and started to mosh with the crowd.
Up next was HEALTH with a full 1-hour long setlist. Who exactly is HEALTH? Hailing from LA, the band has been described as having “artfully crafted noise and raw synth, haunting monotone vocals, and drum skills that are borderline insane.” They also created scores for video games, such as Max Payne 3, GTA, and Cyberpunk 2077. Their show was dark, the lights flashy, almost epileptic at some points – just like their music. John Famiglietti was responsible for the bass, noise mixing, and hair swinging; Jake Duzsik – for the smooth melancholic vocal part; and Benjamin Jared Miller for the powerful drumming. Their set was a perfect balance between more melodramatic, synthwave songs like “CYBERPUNK 2.0.2.0” and “We Are Water” and pure intense ear and soul-ripping industrial-like “FEEL NOTHING” and “BODY/PRISON,” with score songs from Max Payne 3 thrown in there. The crowd was dedicated fans that knew most of their lyrics by hard and were giving all their energy and sweat. They closed the set with the track “Innocence” featuring Sara Taylor.
Overall, the show was like an endless firework show at a punk concert. Gritty, powerful, and intense, and the small venue doubled that effect. The sound was good, the organizers deserve a perk for making this show happen!
YOUTH CODE
HEALTH
