Late week, Destroy Boys continued to prove that punk rock is a safe space for everyone to mosh their troubles away, if only for a night. Stopping off at a sold-out Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, AZ, the house was packed wall-to-wall with fans from nearly all walks of life. Everyone in attendance was ready to mosh, dance, scream, and cry out their frustration, and Alexia Roditis (lead vocals, guitar), Violet Mayugba (guitar, vocals), Narsai Malik (drums), and David Orozco (bass) provided the space for all to do just that.
Before fully launching into their set, Roditis took to center stage and reminded everyone to take care of themselves and one another, that there’s no shame in stepping out of the pit for water, to pick someone up if they fall in the pit, to watch out for people taking advantage of others, and to respect everyone’s spaces and bodily autonomy. These things may seem second nature to those in the crowd who have been attending punk shows for 20 years, but for a bulk of the attendees, this was their first experience at a punk show. The refresher for those veteran punks in attendance was nice, but setting those expectations into the minds of the younger crowd was even nicer. From there, Roditis and crew tore headlong into a set that included hits from each of their releases. With the show being 16+, the over 21 and under 21 crowds were separated by metal fencing and barricades. While this greatly restricted fullblown moshing abilities, the songs “Drink”, “Fences”, and “Muzzle” all brought the closest approximation to a mosh pit that was possible. Fans were jumping up on each other, hanging over barricades, and screaming along to Roditis’ and Mayguba’s vocals. It’s been a few years since I’ve personally seen Destroy Boys, and it was awesome to see Mayguba take over lead vocals for a couple of songs. Their voices and energy greatly compliment each other: Roditis’ vocals and performance pull in the audience like a siren, while Mayugba brings an incredibly in-your-face attitude to each song as they prowl the stage, often leaning into the crowd or hanging from the mic stand. Throughout the night, Destroy Boys made sure to dedicate songs to different members of the LGBTQIA+ community, each to rapturous applause and ensuring that everyone felt seen. Furthering their inclusiveness, and demonstrating their own mixed background, Roditis reminded all that punk transcends nationalities as well before jumping into “Amor Divino”, which is sung in Spanish.
Destroy Boys are finishing out their tour this week with stops in California. If they’re swinging through your area, you would be mistaken to miss the show. It’s the 21st century, and Roditis and the rest of Destroy Boys show that politically driven punk rock power chords and mosh pits aren’t just back in fashion, but that they’re for everyone.
