[ATTENDED: October 2, 2026] Plague Vendor
I was torn about this show from the get go (see main post) and when I listened to Plague Vendor briefly, they were interesting but not compelling. So I wasn’t that excited when they came out on stage.
Three guys came out and they started playing an awesome, simple bass and guitar riff. The bass and guitars sounds fantastic and I was instantly hooked. Their outfits (the bassist was wearing like a Sears cowboy outfit from the 70s, including a glittering belt buckle that said Bill.) The guitarist had a fringe of hair that fell in his face and I couldn’t see him at all.
After a minute or so of this riffage, a guy came out on stage in black pants, a black muscle shirt and lots of tattoos. His hair was soaking wet and he was an absolutely lunatic. He started singing the first song fairly calmly and then the chorus exploded and his voice exploded too. It was fascinating.
During the instrumental parts, he lined up the bottles of water (one of which he dumped all over his head midway through the show). He seemed unhappy with the microphone stand and at one point he threw it into the photographer pit and then later climbed down to get it. He complained about the lights twice saying how hot it was up there. He even said I don’t know where the hell I am and I’m sure you don’t either, so let’s just play music.
I didn’t really like him, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. And it’s a good thing I didn’t, because suddenly, he was standing on the barrier singing right at us. He was holding on the a fan’s hand (and head at one point) just wobbling and singing.
They were about four songs in by this point and I loved every one. There wasn’t a ton of variety–heavy, groovy riffs with a fantastic sound all the way through. Some songs were really short (their earlier songs were under 2 minutes) but most were around 3. And then the guitar player smiled and I recognized him immediately. For he was Henri Cash of Starcrawler. What? Could that be true? Yes, indeed it is. And I thought the bass player looked kinda familiar as well, and it turns out that it was Bill Cash from Starcrawler (hence, the belt buckle). So WTF?
Well, it turns out that Henri Cash and singer Brandon Blaine (and some other guys who are apparently not in the band anymore) formed the band in 2008 and put their first album out in 2014. In 2015 Henri joined Starcrawler. And is clearly in both bands all the time, with a Plague Vendor album in 2016, Starcrawler in 2018, both in 2019 and a Starcrawler in 2022. Plague Vendor has new stuff out, so both bands are still a going concern.
And then Brandon Blaine walked over to the bass amp (a tall cabinet) and leapt off doing a split while in the air.
The set was just electric with the musicians tight as anything and not needing to anything because they sounded fantastic and all eyes were on Blaine anyhow. Blaine came over to where I was standing. A guy next to me had on a winter coats (it was nearly 80 degrees today, why was he wearing this coat at all much less in this hot venue?). Blaine reached over to the guy, pulled him to the barrier and proceeded to pull his coat off of him by the hood (all while singing). He then hopped on stage, put the coat on and sang the rest of the song. When it was over and he tossed to coat back, he commented. “I realized as I wearing it that it was probably an expensive coat.” And that was that.
The whole set was fantastic–a tight 30 minutes after which Brandon said we were a crazy audience and he loved playing here. I would see them again in a second.
And, they were the only good thing to come out of this evening.
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Anchor to Ankles ♥
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Jezebel ♥
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Breakdance on Broken Glass ¢
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Black Sap Scriptures ¢
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New Comedown ⇓
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Roses
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Freight Train
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Black Picket Fence
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I Only Speak In Friction
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Highway Love Letter
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Unc
⇓ By Night (2019)
♥ BLOODSWEAT (2016)
¢ Free To Eat (2014)
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