Article and Photos from Rhi Soto
After almost 20 years of the band being separated, Orchid is back together! The band decided to regroup in 2024 and are currently on their Doom Loop Tour, traveling down the West Coast. Starting in Washington, the band made their second stop in Portland, Oregon on February 11th at Revolution Hall. To start the show off, three knock-out bands were opened for Orchid: Physique, Great Falls, and Iron Lung.
Openers
Punks and hardcore fans gathered on the floor and herded toward the stage, while some watched from the balconies. I couldn’t help but admire the older punk’s intricate crust pants, and the new tween metalheads at the edge of the balcony, trying to get a better view. A sense of comradery was felt in the building, but one couldn’t ignore the deep call to action heard from multiple bands given political events within the US and globally. After Physique’s head banging set, they expressed excitement to hear Orchid perform, but also a call to free Palestine. Great Falls started by playing a recording of women whispering incoherently, ended their set with the last song on their record “Throwing Against the Waves” and thanked Iron Lung for letting them use their equipment.
As Iron Lung took the stage already a strong connection could be felt by the audience and band. The lead singer/drummer stated that he wanted to recreate a “Modern Love-In” reminiscent of the Love-Ins from the 60s. Once the music started, focus was drawn toward a black and white projection played in the background. The clips had an obvious theme of remembering how polio affected people with a lean toward medical horror; showing kids with leg braces, people in iron lungs, people getting vaccines in school, etc. But, there were other 40s/50s nostalgia clips, such as Mickey Mouse and a film with Lucille Ball. These themes parallel what the lead singer was speaking to the audience as he brought attention to deaths caused by systemic injustices or freak accidents, while also expressing sincere excitement for being able to perform tonight.
Orchid’s Arrival
After the openers finished, the smokey dark room made way for Orchid to take the stage. Projected on the stage was a slide that stated “Death To Fascists,” then the poster for their doom loop tour, and finally the skeleton from their Chaos Is Me album which stayed for the whole performance. A recording of an eerie dissonant choir played as the audience eagerly waited for Orchid’s entrance. My friends and I were a little surprised to see lead singer, Jayson Green, rocking a button-up and red ascot, but honestly, this just added to the performance.
The band played songs from multiple albums: Aesthetic Dialectic, Lights Out, A Visit From Dr. Goodsex, I Wanna Fight, Tigers, Amherst’s Pandemonium (pt 1 and 2), I Am Nietzsche, and New Jersey vs Valhalla were all in attendance for the Portland show’s set.
The performance treated the audience with fun interactive parts such as having a black-out mosh during “Lights out” and sections for clapping, but it was crazy seeing waves of people fist-pumping to the beat while shouting “I am Nietzsche.” It was also sick hearing all the different recordings they used to introduce certain songs. At the end of “Tigers,” they played a clip from 2001: A Space Odyssey where Hal 9000 tells Dave about a song he was taught, which he could sing to Dave. But instead of singing “Daisy,” Orchid just started rocking out. Sprinkled between songs were also statements relating to acting against injustice and a need to support groups being harmed, while also checking on the audience and boosting morale.
Conclusion
The performance as a whole was a great balance of calling for action against injustice, while also making this was a night to remember. Orchid has a 2000 album titled Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! and I think that basically sums up the performance. Remember that we need to fight, but also let’s mosh.
Special Thanks
I just wanted to give a special thanks to my friends who attended the show with me, my girlfriend, my ma, and all the people at KPSU who helped me figure out how to put this article together. I couldn’t have done it without you!
