Upchuck & DARTZ – Whammy Bar: March 13, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)

Atlanta, USA punk band Upchuck, formed in 2018, are a favourite of such luminaries as Iggy Pop and Ty Segall. Led by Kaila “KT” Thompson, they opened for Amyl & the Sniffers back in ‘24 in the UK, and thus have an affinity with this part of the world.

They’re PUNK, in their attitude as well as the music. With a 2025 Ty Segall produced album I’m Nice Now, their third, that blended Black Flag and The Pixies, they made it to Aotearoa for two shows. Tonight, with local favourites DARTZ opening, Double Whammy was rockin’ and reelin’.

DARTZ

DARTZ is a punk rock band from Poneke. 8.33pm, as the room fills, bodies beckoned by sound checking and tuning, bassist Clark Mathews is not replete with the meekness, so with a few jolly “haere mai mate”, he encourages all to come hither, towards the front.

DARTZ bring joviality and party to punk, their lack of airs, breaks down the “gap” between band and audience. In a shortish set, they delivered 10 energized, danceable songs that tinged of their Wellington roots and drinking 24 beers (40 Rifford Street), flat life (Flat Inspection), a classic (Dangerous Day to Be a Cold One) with its infectious bass riff, and even a new one, Settlers.

Truly, Mathews is the band’s crowd mover and shaker, though guitarist Christan Pianta can drop a few lines, meanwhile, vocalist Daniel Vernon and drummer Hakopa Kuka-Larsen seem happy to drink the band’s rider, while Mathews repeatedly tuned-up.

Upchuck

There’s energy in the whare, as the crowd cheers and gathers when the members of Upchuck arrive onstage. The room is about half full, but the enthusiasm is greater. KT launches the band with a hardcore pose, and the front-folk go manic, by the third song KT has been in the crowd. Meanwhile the other members of the band – guitarists Michael “Mikey” Durham & Hoff, bassist Ausar Ward, and drummer Chris Salado keep the volume constant as Upchuck throws solid Americana punk riffs, beats and intensity into the room.

There’s a little more though, as the night proceeds, the musicians onstage exhibit shifts into complex melodies, harmonies, in particular Ward dropping hypnotic bass grooves, and guitarists Mikey and Hoff overlaying lead sometimes reminiscent of Gregg Ginn.

Mid-set, Salado and Mikey swap tools, as KT retires off stage, and we get a look in on another side of the band, as Salado also joins the manic crowd on the dance floor, though raised by the people, his boots never touch the ground. They deliver punk with more dirge, more dirtier, a little darker.

KT returns, and Salado Passes the mic, as Mikey starts a white-boy funk guitar riff, it’s refreshing, and later with KT’s hardcore animation on stage, her physical narration of songs, a bass groove returns, in a  laid back tempo, with gentler vocals, another respite that seemingly lasts a few songs.

As the night ends, an hour or so later, it’s clear Upchuck avoids the cliche of “Everything Fast”, but maintaining their punk and hardcore roots. They encompass a sound that has synthesised many of the modes of punk that exist, to produce music that has movement to avoid complacency. To create a uniqueness in hardcore & punk.

Simon Coffey

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Den:

Upchuck:

DARTZ: