Live Review: Ho99o9

I’m sure you’ve all had this thought before. You hear an album and it really impresses you and then you start to wonder how they are live. Will they be able to pull this off live? Will it live up to the feeling you got when you first heard the album? Well, let me tell you, if you’re like me and you listened to Ho99o9 and thought those things, you will absolutely 100% not be disappointed when you see them live. As I watched the crowd explode into a frenzy and the band utterly decimate the small venue, I knew from the first minute in, that Ho99o9 are without a doubt, the real deal.

 

At a little after 10pm, the lights went down and projections appeared on the brick wall behind the stage, then 3 figures appeared on stage. From that point, it was a burst of chaos and excitement. Eaddy and TheOGM owned that stage from the get go along with drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The amount of energy radiating off that stage was reminiscent of my time going to see punk and hardcore shows in small/tight venues. Over the course of an hour, Ho99o9 blazed through songs from their debut album United States of Horror as well as their Cyber Cop EP. Songs like “War Is Hell,” “Street Power,” “Money Machine,” “Face Tatt,” “Knuckle Up,” “United States of Horror,” and “Mega City Nine” were commanding and performed with a take no prisoners approach. Their unique blend of hip-hop, industrial and punk rock is pummeling and vigorous while at the same time full of piss and gasoline.

 

I’ve seen a lot of shows in my life (and I mean A LOT), and this was one of those shows that will be replaying in my head for days, weeks and months to come. Ho99o9 are taking over and you should prepare accordingly. If they are on the bill and playing early, do yourself a favor and get there to see them. They will also be the band that steals the show from whoever they are playing with. I can’t wait to see what they do next and where they go musically. As I said above, Ho99o9 are the real deal and they should be on your radar.

 

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

(I was too into the show to really take many pictures)

 

On The Rise: Ho99o9

A couple months back a friend of mine suggested I take a listen to something. He wouldn’t tell me who it was until a few of the songs were over. As the final song finished, he asked what I thought. I said that was pretty cool and that I bet whoever it was would be pretty rad to see live as well. A couple minutes passed and he then told me it was this band Ho99o9 (aka Horror). I had heard the name before but never heard the music. At that point I sought out obtaining the album that he played me and I was sold. The album in question was United States Of Horror, which is also the bands debut studio album. Ho99o9 is a group that combines elements of hip hop, industrial, hardcore, and trip hop. Since their inception in 2012, Ho99o9 have been making a name for themselves with their explosive and adrenaline soaked performances. They’ve shared the stage with bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan, Street Sects, 3 Teeth and will soon be on tour with Korn and Alice In Chains this summer. Ho99o9 is the type of band that is needed at the moment. Just as things have gotten watered down by bands changing their style to match the atrociousness of groups like Imagine Dragons and Nickelback, Ho99o9 is the plague that is coming to rid us of all that garbage. I for one am very interested to see where this band goes and what sort of danger they bring back to the rock world. Ho99o9 is on the rise and rightfully so.
Ho9909- United States Of Horror: