Degenerate Youth:
W&R / Doctorshopper Tour Photos

During the month of July 2012, San Francisco’s Wreck & Reference and LA’s Doctorshopper made a short run of the West Coast of the United States. In January, Doctorshopper self-released “Degenerate Utopia” on their Cult of Melancholia imprint, an art and music collective from the Los Angeles area. In April, Wreck & Reference released their follow up to the revered “Black Cassette” with an album called “No Youth” which is available on vinyl from The Flenser. More words and a full black and white gallery of both bands after the jump!

Musically and aesthetically, these two bands are very different and make for an interesting tour package. In terms of sonic intensity and performance, these two bands go hand in hand. Doctorshopper combines elements of heavy metal, hardcore, doom and grind. Their performance is highly physical, often with multiple members supplying vocals, microphone or not. The musicianship of this band is at an all time high; Doctorshopper shares members with other bands such as the black metal band Lake Of Blood and the grind band Wageslave. The band enticed the crowd at Rec Center Studios in Oakland into a frenzy.
Wreck & Reference are an extremely loud pair. Despite having no stringed instruments to speak of, W&R are as intense and heavy as any metal band. Band member Felix uses a sampler, footboard, and laptop to trigger prerecorded music as Ignat beats his drums to death. The result is an earth shattering sound that I’ve yet to hear anyone come close to reproducing. The band drew equally from their two releases, bringing a new life to their already stirring compositions.
The Wreck And Reference/Doctorshopper tour reached its end in Oakland, California at Rec Center Studios. Despite their differing approach to music, both bands are extremely heavy and have a unique way of channeling the human condition through lyrics. I was able to capture these photos at the show: