PHOTOS: Snõõper, STEEF, Thou at Siberia 8/7/24
Egg-punk meets "serious-core"
Last week, I took photos at Nashville punk band Snooper’s final tour date off their nearly month-long run around the US, ending here in New Orleans. Local bands STEEF and Thou performed with them making for an odd bill.
Snooper’s been described as “egg-punk,” a subgenre that I think characterizes a lot of bands well (especially for New Orleans’ own gourmet chef’s STEEF). The genre’s essentially characterized as a light-hearted take on punk, often having silly subject matter in the lyrics, quirky costumes/aesthetics and some gimmick to their live shows.
It’s kinda like the new wave and post-punk revival catchall often being compared to acts like DEVO and the B-52’s except with a bit of an internet post-ironicism attached (think hyper-pop). Another quality to point out is the upbeat, danceability of this music, with songs often driven by their basslines and grooves.
Comparatively speaking though, Snooper’s the only egg-punk band I've gotten into besides STEEF and Prison Affair. They seem genuine in their mission to create a space for people to hang out and have a good time, pushing against some of the stuffy, over-seriousness punk scenes tend to develop. I really like this quote from an NME feature on the band where vocalist Blair Tramel says:
“So many times I’ve gone to see shows and almost had a panic attack of feeling like I’m not punk enough to be at the punk show.”
DIY/punk shows have, at times, been the places I’ve felt most accepted and cherished but have also been spaces where I’ve felt the most judged or panicked. Punk is tough that way. I like the anxiety it brings me sometimes. Going to a punk show often gets me out of my comfort zone or challenges me in productive ways. But at the same time, people can also just be assholes. And I’m a masc-presenting person. There are nine more layers of fuckery my femme-presenting friends and loved ones have to deal with because chuds are everywhere.
It’s a constant battle really, creating an accepting space. It’s refreshing to see a band like Snooper take that seriously with their silly little music.
But on the other end of the spectrum, Thou, a band I know I’ve read somewhere referred to as “serious-core” aptly describes their haunting sound, work ethic and lyrical prose. In a sense, they almost stand antithesis to egg-punks' whole existence, at least in concept. Music is a serious endeavor to Thou. A cause worth sacrifice and demands nothing less than a holy reverence.
So why was Thou on a show completely outside their ethos? A couple of answers for that, mainly Snooper’s drummer, Tyler Coburn, is also Thou’s drummer. Secondly, Thou are an eclectic bunch who aren't at odds with jumping on a weird bill. They come from the Baton Rouge scene which reminds me of the small-town music scenes I’ve experienced.
In small-town Georgia, it was common for a house show to have a couple of hip-hop guys followed by some art-noise project followed by an experimental metal band. Those were some of the best shows I ever cared to be at because, shockingly, variety is more interesting and you get more of the same “music” people showing up to listen rather than a scene that only cares about one aesthetic or sound.
You couldn’t afford to have a fractured community. And that was the sense I got from Thou’s performance at the Snooper show. Not everyone is going to be down for the goofy style of egg-punk or the dreariness of sludge metal but maybe it doesn’t hurt for different foods to touch.
"DIY/punk shows have, at times, been the places I’ve felt most accepted and cherished but have also been spaces where I’ve felt the most judged or panicked." Ooh, I could not agree more.