REVIEW: Trans Rage Night Brings a Packed House to No Fun

Jan 29

01/25 @ No Fun, Troy

“The set seemed to unite the crowd in more ways than just a mosh pit. Friends grabbed each other's hands and swung each other around until they fell over, as if they were kids on a playground.”

The impending storm was no match for an incredible lineup at No Fun on Saturday. The line of shivering people went out the door to see Dog Pisser, Trepidation, Film and Gender, Damag3, and Chaser Bait perform to benefit the Transgender Law Center.

The house was absolutely packed as Dog Pisser took the stage. Notably one member of the band, whom they called their “security,” dressed all in black and wielded only a hammer and large sheet of metal resembling a locker door as their instrument. They started their set with a rallying cry of “Fuck ICE,” before introducing their first song, “Godzilla’s Gock,” and the crowd settled in to watch what would without a doubt be a hilarious and captivating act.

Other standout songs included “Stab Transphobes” — a piece that consisted of about ten seconds of pure screaming — and a song only introduced as a song “about Dracula, specifically about wanting to fuck Dracula,” complete with hardcore vocals, but ending with a crisply enunciated, “I want to fuck Dracula,” causing laughter — and head nods of agreement — to ripple through the crowd.

The song of theirs that made perhaps the biggest impact on the crowd was one where they confess their hearts’ truest desires: “I want to [enact a certain act of violence upon a certain political figure] with a knife / allegedly / allegedly." Though they played for a short 15 minutes or so, they absolutely made an impact on the crowd, several of whom left as brand new fans.

Up next was Trepidation, a four piece from New Hampshire, who describe themselves as mathy grindcore. They also started their set with the political mantras of the night: “Free Palestine” and “Fuck ICE.” As they sound checked their instruments, the singer quipped, “and that was our set, thank you, goodnight,” a joke which immediately set the tone and got the audience to laugh along, intrigued by the band’s charm.

Their set was sonically interesting and their chemistry made it feel as if they had been playing together for far longer than they have been. The crowd absolutely loved them and a pit started up at the very first song as the singer laid into the crowd with seasoned hardcore vocals.

As the band played, a bag of earplugs on top of an amp tipped over and moved in tune with their music. Several would have fallen off the side and onto the stage if it weren’t for some of the fans up front diligently moving them back into the bag. The visual, while hilarious, was well-suited for Trepidation’s sound — loud, energetic, and entirely unique.

After that was the punk duo, Film and Gender, hailing from Massachusetts. The singer took to the stage with incredible energy and asked the crowd two questions — “What’s up transsexuals? Are you all ready to shake your shit?” — before diving in and spinning up an enthusiastic pit. A standout song was "I Wish I Never Made You Cum” with the lyrics “Did you ever look at me and see a human being? / You used me like I was your tool / A fuck-toy for receiving…” A theme echoed in another song of theirs, “T4T,” an anthem for trans people who have lost patience with attempting to date cis people.

The double duty bassist and singer had no problem getting right into the center of the crowd, dancing with everyone on the floor. This personal touch made it all the more possible to pay attention as the band ground to a stop to remind the crowd that it’s our job to not only protect, but platform people of color. They ended the set with a showstopping earworm F.W.A.G., appropriately introduced by explaining that it was a song about killing bigots. “Faggot with a gun / faggot with a gun / every bigot will protest / faggot with a gun / faggot with a gun / I’ll put a hole into your chest…”

Following Film and Gender was Damag3, a catchy hip hop act that was a stark but welcome difference from the sound of the other bands playing that night. She started off by teaching the crowd to sing along to “BOOM,” encouraging everyone to yell when she pointed the mic out to the crowd. This introduction immediately warmed the audience to her as everyone stepped up to the stage to be closer to the action.

Damag3’s set was touching and lyrically interesting, while winking at the audience about self-deprecation. An electronic voice that introduced one of her songs noted that the crowd “reeked of communism and estrogen,” a perfectly apt slogan for the night. As all the bands before her, Damag3 made her stance against ICE and launched into a set of unforgettable songs. Most notably, “PUT A LANDLORD iN A LANDFiLL,” which received the most audience participation. “Put a landlord in a landfill / I ain’t paying for you to stand still / Drop that ass, drop a band / Fix my fuckin’ sink / I been payin’ all your bills / Bitch, you work for me.”

Endlessly charismatic, Damag3’s set seemed to unite the crowd in more ways than just a mosh pit. Friends grabbed each other's hands and swung each other around until they fell over, as if they were kids on a playground. Couples danced together, and fans passed out gold star stickers, a reference to a recent video she had posted on Instagram. Towards the end of her allotted time, she said, “With what little of my voice I have left, I want to impart some words of encouragement” and spoke about uplifting each other in such a tumultuous political climate. She ended the set with “START A FIRE.” “Burn the system down and start a fire / Marching down the street and you invited / Fist up in the air and put it higher / We the people gotta stay united.”

Lastly, the crowd welcomed homegrown queercore act Chaser Bait to the stage. They started explaining a bit of their politics, being sure to call for a free Palestine, Sudan, and Congo, before calling out the boys club of hardcore in Albany. It’s no wonder the night ended with them, not only as a nod to their Albany origins, but their energy was explosive. Immediately a pit broke out, complete with crowdsurfers, and the singer did multiple stage dives into the crowd without hesitation.

Although the audience was already showing them love, heads snapped to attention when the open monologue of G.L.O.S.S.’s song “G.L.O.S.S. (We’re from the Future)” rang out: “They told us we were girls / how we talk, dress, look, and cry / they told us we were girls / so we claimed our female lives / now they tell us we aren’t girls / our femininity doesn’t fit / we’re fucking future girls / living outside society’s shit.” It could be hard to cover such a cult classic, but Chaser Bait nailed it, causing shouts of approval from the crowd.

All in all, an absolutely incredible night of music in Troy. Most bands made the space their own with decorations — Dog Pisser hung a giant fuzzy worm on a string off their mic, Trepidation put an adorably round baby seal plush on the stage with them, and dried flowers were poking out of amps. It felt like a bit of a metaphor for the night — not only did the bands take up the space they were given, but they put a bow on it, making it pleasantly their own. Even if the world outside of No Fun is scary and unstable, the community inside was warm and inviting.

All of the bands mentioned are available on Bandcamp and some are available on Spotify. Follow them on Instagram: @dogpisser666, @trepidationbandnh, @film_and_gender, @itsdamag3, and @chaserbait518. For more information on the Transgender Law Center, visit transgenderlawcenter.org.