Soccer Mommy, The Mall and More Thrill at Drkmttr Fest II

As of the late summer, Drkmttr has served Nashville for a full decade, pivoting to meet needs and expanding its offerings gradually but never straying from its core mission of being a welcoming, affirming space for all ages to experience music and art. This year, the venue has had to navigate challenges like being a nonprofit at a time when federal grant funding for the arts has been cut dramatically, on top of the regular challenges of running an indie venue. While Sunday’s vendor market had to be canceled due to inclement weather, Friday and Saturday at the second annual fundraiser Drkmttr Fest II featured a boatload of fascinating music from near and far.

Friday’s festivities started around 6 p.m., and the crowd skewed on the lighter side at first. But they showed out, sporting unconventional haircuts, low-rise pants and chunky boots, taking advantage of the food trucks outside the venue and free earplugs offered inside. A few minor snags resulted in schedule adjustments, but everything worked out nicely as the room began to fill up by 8:45 when Nashville rock standouts Venus & the Flytraps began their set. Ceci Tomé and Brenna Kassis went all-in on the curly-haired head banging and bittersweet hooks, with songs from their second EP Venus in Love prominent in the performance that ended with their most popular single “Worse Together.” The duo’s debut album Demonette is out Oct. 28, at which time they’ll be on a run of dates opening for Sir Chloe.

Washington, D.C., trio Ekko Astral describe their socially engaged music aptly as “mascara moshpit,” a blend of post-punk’s downcast vibe and grunge or riot grrl’s aggressive energy and pop sensibility. Though they’ve reached a point in their career when they’re touring with well-known bands like IDLES and PUP, they haven’t forgotten how important it is to have a thriving indie music ecosystem. “There’s something about the DIY community and the fact that Drkmttr can go on for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years,” said lead singer Jael Holzman. “Shit like this is what keeps a community together.” At the end of their set, the band played their next single “Horseglue,” set for release Oct. 22.

One of the cool things about the DIY world that you don’t see so much in corporate venues: Throughout the night, artists took different approaches to their setups. Friday headliner The Mall, the synth-punk vehicle of St. Louis’ Mark Plant, served up a solo performance with all their gear on a table at the center of the venue floor. Where this kind of music often features crooning vocals, Plant yells their often-grim narratives about contemporary life into the mic as lights flash wildly and layers of synths and beats cascade over the crowd like a pummeling massage, and it made for a fitting end to Day 1.

The Day 2 party started early Saturday afternoon with a drone session featuring Nashville’s own Luke Schneider and Bruce Ervin. As the sun inched toward the horizon, also-local quartet Sourtooth blasted their broody post-hardcore ballads, followed by experimental beats from Bl_ank. The solo project of electro-acoustic percussionist and onetime Nashvillian Will Hicks, Bl_ank offers another superb example of DIY artistry celebrated at places like Drkmttr. Hicks quickly settled into his signature performance mode, playing live drums with precision speed and ferocity along with pre-recorded synths and mechanical sound effects. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Hicks gracefully kept his stamina as he pulled out pieces like “+=+” and “Computer,” which both appear on his 2020 album Th Moof. 

Between sets, Drkmttr co-owner Olive Scibelli and Trans Aid Nashville committee member Alex Danner stepped up to the mic. Each spoke on the significance of Drkmttr as a safe space amid growing turmoil. “But the real tea is, our ancestors and our heroes and all of these freedom fighters and liberation movements that we all look up to that give us hope,” said Danner, “they didn’t have anything that we don’t have in this parking lot right here.”

After a long round of applause, Chicago multi-instrumentalist Nnamdï strolled onstage by himself, and a loud guitar strum blended with the ear-piercing yet nostalgic THX Deep Note. That resolved into his fast-paced hip-hop-meets-bedroom-pop jam “Armoire,” which he seamlessly transitioned into the disjointed but groovy rocker “Dibs.” “It’s very cool to see people give a shit about stuff,” said Nnamdï. Though he mostly stuck to songs from his most recent full-length, 2022’s Please Have a Seat, he dipped further back into his discography a few times for tunes like “Wasted” from his 2020 release Brat, which deserves a summer of its own.

As the sky reached a deep pitch black, Sophie Allison approached the stage as Soccer Mommy. Sporting an all-black outfit and her signature bleach-blond money piece, the local indie-rock hero and her band immediately captured the crowd’s attention with the tranquil opening strums of “Circle the Drain.” Songs from her 2024 album Evergreen were a big feature, like the heavier, guitar-driven “Driver” and the lilting love ballad “Abigail,” an ode to Allison’s purple-haired Stardew Valley wife. Fulfilling her promise in our recent interview to visit lots of corners of her catalog, she sprinkled deep cuts and fan favorites like “Cool” (from 2018’s Clean) into the set list. Appropriate for the day of the latest No Kings rally, Allison and company wrapped with “Your Dog,” drawing the crowd in to shout along: “I don’t wanna be your fucking dog!”

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