Review: Iron Lung plays ‘an all-timer kind of show’ for hardcore fans at Deadwood

On most Tuesday nights, Iowa City’s beloved Deadwood Tavern is a calm, quiet space, filled with not much more than the sounds of light chatter and the collision of billiard balls. But on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 13, there would be no such peace, as the bar welcomed Seattle’s legendary powerviolence duo Iron Lung for a performance.

Accompanying Iron Lung on the evening’s bill were four of Iowa’s celebrated punk bands. Representing the Quad Cities, hardcore punk outfit Blaster was up first, and vocalist Ely Perez laid the groundwork for what was to come by instructing attendees to “stand up front, and beat the shit out of each other.” The crowd obliged, as a mosh pit opened up just milliseconds after the first chords of the evening were struck.

The music of the five bands could be defined by one common characteristic: pure intensity stemming from lightning-fast tempos, heavily distorted guitars and relentless vocals. The intensity came not just from the music itself, but from the subject matter that the band’s lyrics touch on. 

“I really, really like abrasive music, loud music, especially when the lyrics mean something,” said concertgoer Mauricio Avila. “When the lyrics are talking about some political issues, social issues and giving an answer or bringing attention to some problems in society, [the artist] screaming about how they feel, what they wanna do about it, what you should do about it — that’s what really gets me going.”

Following Blaster were the bands Ascended Master, Recess and Bootcamp, all from Iowa City. The booth I had perched on shook beneath me, thanks to the thundering instruments and the ever-aggressive movement of the crowd. The pride that the attendees had in their local bands and scene was worn on their sleeves, as they often reached for the microphone to recite the lyrics themselves.

The significance of sharing a stage with a band that is as widely known and deeply respected in the scene as Iron Lung was not lost on the members of the local bands that opened the show.

“We draw some inspiration from Iron Lung, so it’s an all-timer kind of show,” said Diego Coronel, guitarist of the band Recess. “This place is really cool, and it’s really cool to see all the homies on this. It almost feels like there’s nowhere else to go from here. This is the coolest shit we’ll probably ever play.”

Iron Lung took the stage to close out the night. For only having two people, Iron Lung’s sound was impossibly gargantuan, thanks to the collection of amplifiers that guitarist Jon Kortland utilized, and drummer Jensen Ward beating the absolute snot out of his kit.

Their songs leaned heavily on unpredictable structures; a song would start with a slow, sludgey intro, and then launch into an assault of blast beats with zero warning. The crowd’s reaction was to turn the open floor into a war-zone, as bodies flew from side to side and fists and feet swung furiously.

Shows like this one are important to maintaining and growing music scenes in communities like Iowa City.

“I think someone can come to a show like this and then they’re hooked for life,” said Oliver Weilein, who booked the show and performed in the bands Ascended Master and Bootcamp. “I remember being a 14-year-old going to my first hardcore or punk show and having that same reaction. People here in smaller communities like this don’t take things for granted … they come out and show out and appreciate every band that comes through.”

What took place at Deadwood Tuesday evening was a window into what makes Iowa City and the Iowa hardcore scene special. As Iron Lung’s Ward remarked before the band’s performance, “I can’t believe, based on what I’ve seen tonight, that we’ve never played here [before]. I’m glad we fixed that problem. It’s nice to go to a place where you can tell that people like where they live.”