On the weekend my sister, Andrea, and I braved the East Side for a punk rock show at The Rickshaw Theatre to see LA’s Militarie Gun. The show was part of their 20 songs for $20 dollars tour. Amazing value for a live show in 2026, no doubt, but they also 3 other bands with them. Great night of punk and grunge, and noise, and shoegaze.
I was there to see Militarie Gun (my sister says the “ie” spelling is cute). But really enjoyed all the band son the night. Militarie Gun brought their buds Dazy along to open. Shady Nasty was part of the show from Sydney, NSW. And just before our headliners, it was Kitchener, Ontario sibling grunge-shoegazers SoftCult.
Both my sister and I like their sound. Heavy at times. Pretty at times. Big sweeping epic songs. I think they describe themselves on their instagram as “evil Cocteau Twins.” I love it.
Softcult has been banging out songs for a half dozen years at this point (and were in a pop-pink band before called Courage My Love) with more than few seeing moderate success on streaming. They released their debut full length back in January called When A Flower Doesn’t Grow.
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” That perspective threads through the album’s ten tracks, which explore cycles of oppression, abuse, and conformity, while championing the courage it takes to break free.
“The truth is, nothing can thrive in an environment where it is stifled,” lead singer-guitarist Mercedes Arn-Horn reflects. “We can’t flourish in environments that are oppressive. We need the world around us to be an environment that encourages us to grow.”
Go with yourself.
