The HIRS Collective is an amorphous grindcore punk group whose anonymous members first came together in Philadelphia in 2011 to uplift and defend people targeted by marginalization, oppression, and violence, including queer and gender-diverse people, BIPOC, and outsiders of all kinds. In the intervening years, the American right has escalated its campaign of bigotry and cruelty against the LGBTQ+ community—and transgender people specifically—as part of its broader attack on democracy. If you want to scream about the criminalization of drag queens and the barrage of anti-trans legislation that’s increasingly forcing families to move across state lines to ensure their loved ones can receive gender-affirming care, then you’ll be glad to know that the HIRS Collective has a few hundred pointed, politically fueled songs for you to scream along to. The group demonstrates the power of inclusivity and acceptance, not only in its constantly shifting membership but also in its network of collaborators. In fact, you could build a badass music collection just out of records by the dozens of guests on this spring’s fiery We’re Still Here, who include Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson, freaky Japanese noise rockers Melt-Banana, and Philly hardcore punks Soul Glo. (As HIRS explained to New Noise in March, some of its members love hip-hop, and that inspired the collective to create an album with guests on every track.) This show also features noise and powerviolence sets from Midwestlust (Chicago and Saint Louis) and Stolen (Aurora) as well as monolithic doom metal from Foehammer (Annandale, Virginia), so come get your ears scrubbed out and feel the love.
HIRS Collective Midwestlust, Foehammer, and Stolen open. Thu 5/4, 8 PM, Reggies Music Joint, 2105 S. State, $12, 21+