Angel Du$t @ St.Stephens
Author: Ash Newton
Across their 13 years as a band, Angel Du$t has changed lineups, labels and levels of notoriety; emerging from brutal Baltimore scene outfit Trapped Under Ice and legends in the making Turnstile, their only consistent traits have been frontman Justice Tripp and an unwavering loyalty to their hometown.
Now promoting their new record Cold 2 the Touch, the sixth installment in a legacy of genre-warping indie hardcore, Angel Du$t descended upon their DC neighbors with fury. On Friday, February 27, the band thrashed St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, alongside locals Loose Leash and Backlash and guests Crown of Thornz. The show followed a surprise free concert at Baltimore Soundstage the night before, officially kicking off the months-long, multi-leg international tour for their recent release.
The show was organized in collaboration with Positive Force and We Are Family DC, two area nonprofits that have used the space to hold benefit shows for 40 years, transforming the narrow auditorium into a mainstay of the underground scene under the helm of leader Mark Andersen. From mythic and foundational bands like Fugazi to 2000s riot rockers Strike Anywhere and other Baltimore greats like Stout, Angel Du$t rose to meet a heavy legacy – luckily, they weren’t new. The band played there twice before in 2016 and 2017, both nights a part of the massive Rock the Fuck On Forever tour promoting the album of the same name.
Newcomers, Loose Leash opened the show, their second ever performance following their appearance with Angel Du$t in Baltimore the previous night. Uniting members of now-defunct rock outfit Give and post-punkers Bacchae, Loose Leash strikes a balance between either sound, playing jubilant, groovy party punk from their recent self-titled debut EP. They closed their set with a cover of No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out, the short-lived California hardcore group fronted by Zack de la Rocha, later vocalist of Rage Against the Machine. Covers are an excellent cheat code for new bands, providing audiences something recognizable to latch onto while also showcasing a band’s identity in what they choose to cover and how they execute it. The tone shift between Loose Leash’s original material and Inside Out’s urgent, politically charged wrath demonstrated versatility and was, of course, timely for a city like Washington in an era like our own.
DC hardcore outfit Backlash followed, also riding the wave of a recent EP release. They played the new tape in full across the second half of their set, but made sure to open with the pummeling, anthemic self-titled song that opens their first EP. The lines “No future / there’s no past / now it’s just / Backlash” encapsulate a sort of thesis for the band; Backlash plays nothing but raw hardcore. Alternatively, the chorus could be a takedown of the other hardcore bands named Backlash, of which there are at least two. The other highlight of their set was the indie-styled chorus of “Something Blue”, which features a loping tambourine rhythm and made for a welcome break from the onslaught of aggressive, minute-and-a-half-long (if that) tracks.
Crown of Thornz delivered their own classic take on hardcore, as the OG New York outfit has recouped in recent years, nearly three decades after their initial disbandment. Vocalist Danny Diablo appeared like a cartoon character of a hardcore tough guy, clad in a vermilion sweatsuit and with tattoos crawling over almost every inch of his skin. Crown of Thornz’s music is similarly emblematic, with Diablo’s growled vocals carrying a gruff authority over two-step riffs that got a somewhat lukewarm reception from the crowd. While a few committed dancers put some moves down, much of the audience seemed unfamiliar with Thornz, even suspicious.
If moshers were subdued during the opening acts, their energy reached a fever pitch by the time Angel Du$t took the stage. The room was packed to the rafters, the crowd already beginning to move as one ambient mass as the first notes of “I’m The Outside” rang out, a punchy and upbeat power pop riff that was nonetheless subject to immediate brutality as stagedivers rained upon the head-bopping throng during the breakdown. The mania continued to coalesce from there; the band followed up with the song “Toxic Boombox”, driven by a frenetically fast d-beat rhythm.
The band’s setlist drew evenly from all their releases; despite the gold mylar balloons spelling out “COLD 2” behind them, they only played five songs from Cold 2 The Touch, a rarity for a band promoting a new record. But Angel Du$t’s choice to draw from across their discography is a welcome one – it gratifies the die-hard fans while introducing new listeners to their catalog.
Between songs, Tripp expressed gratitude for the audience and the space. He also affirmed the other bands on the lineup, especially Crown of Thornz.
“I can’t emphasize enough, if you are a fan of what me and my friends do, or a fan of Baltimore hardcore, you can’t deny how important the influence of Crown of Thornz is. They’re my all-time favorite band, they’re the most influential, and the best-sounding band for the longest period of time. I think Crown of Thornz is the best-sounding live hardcore band you can see on earth, and I’m very pleased y’all are here to enjoy it,” he said.
Other highlights included Brand New Soul, the title track from their last record, with its bass-led groove and earworm of a chorus, and Sippin’ Lysol, also from that album. The song embodies Angel Du$t at their hardest, and the crowd felt it too as Tripp shared the mic with roaring fans.
The night closed with “Stepping Stone”, another rager which dates back to their debut release. Before the final breakdown, Tripp shouted out legendary hardcore acts including 86 Mentality and Damnation A.D., both of which have performed at St. Stephen’s before. As the final moshers descended on the floor, Angel Du$t carried the spirit of hardcore forward, illustrating for all that DC and Maryland will always make up a fundamental place in that history.
Author: Ash Newton | Artist: Angel Du$t | 02/27/26 | Venue: St.Stephens