The experimental shoegazers TAGABOW show off the versatility with a commanding performance of ‘Violence I.’
Since 2017, the brilliant, bracing Philly shoegaze four-piece TAGABOW has been steadily refining a sound both pioneering and reverential, manifesting a radical new spin on the templates created by master noise merchants Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Neil Young. Bolstered by blitzkrieg guitars, earworm melodies and the frenetic, pounding assault of their concussive rhythm section, TAGABOW features harrowing-if-ultimately-life-affirming tales of addiction, relapse and redemption pulled straight from the real-life struggles of frontman and principal songwriter Douglas Dulgarian.
As part of “The One For New York”. concert film, we recruited TAGABOW to be one of the acts on the three-day, seven-band bill in support of Dinosaur Jr. and their set was a master class in anthemic catharsis and ecstatic demolition. Check out this video to see them play their song “Violence I” to a rapt audience at TV Eye in Ridgewood Queens.
Performing in their trademark circle formation, with the band facing each other and Dulgarian singing from the audience, the band highlighted the highwire versatility and vast tonal and emotional range and depth . Like generations of great artists before them, TAGABOW wrenches novel sounds from the stalwart tools we created decades ago and continue to innovate to this day. May the circle be unbroken.
