Photo Gallery: Body Pressure / Liquid Swords / ROTA / Bit-O-Honey at Awful House

Body Pressure

Cold air billowed from the mouths of 50 or so punks that convened at Awful House on Monday night. Austin, Texas punks Body Pressure made their sophomore stop in Kansas City and cooked up a set that was twice as punishing as the last, mostly thanks to a new drummer that could pound the skins like nobody's business. The mosh wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the intensity at which the songs were felt was cranked up due to Kracheni inviting the crowd to stand inches away from the band. If this set was any indication, the band's upcoming LP, "U.S. Decay," should be a contender for punk album of the year.

Kansas City's Liquid Swords played last, ending the night around 12:30 A.M. The first few minutes of the band's set went as usual, but a dancing rocker soon bowled over part of the drum kit. The rest of the set took on a more loose and jocular tone, which proved to be a pleasant switch-up. Local garage/post-punk ensemble ROTA played its final set before vocalist Ashley Hohman heads back to St. Louis, but promised that recordings will soon be available so their work may live on. The show was opened by Bit-O-Honey, a new solo effort from prolific DIY musician Dakota Shipp. Several keyboards, a drum machine, and other devices were spread across the floor as Shipp hopped and paced about, screaming along to his experimental noise-dance creations. Perhaps due to the ski mask he donned, he eventually tripped over his power strip, bringing his performance to a premature end.

Full photo gallery here.