Surf Curse in Atlanta at The Masquerade -Purgatory with Dirt Buyer
Written By | Sofia Sonora
The Masquerade, the classic venue in the Atlanta alternative scene dating back to 1988, is located in the heart of underground Atlanta, and is home to the stages Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
See More Photos of Surf Curse HERE
This was Reno, NV. based Surf Curse’s first time here in Atlanta. They played Purgatory, the smallest of the 3 venues, holding only 300 people. When I arrived, tickets were sold out already and there was a gathering mass of fans that unluckily didn’t have a ticket, waiting around hoping to snag an extra one. Inside, it was packed with teenage fans dressed in skate grunge attire waiting for the concert to start.
See More Photos of Dirt Buyer HERE
The opener, Dirt Buyer, was a band I was familiar with, so I was excited to see them perform live. Dirt Buyer comes straight out of New York, with raw heartfelt vocals and a Duster-esque sound. They played songs off their debut self titled album, including their hit “Josephine”.
After Dirt Buyer’s fantastic set there was a long interlude till Surf Curse. Opening with “Forever Dumb”, the crowd instantly broke into a mosh pit where everyone was singing along to every word.
Nick Rattigan, also Current Joys, were playing drums. Jacob Rubeck was front and center playing lead guitar while YOUR ANGEL, Henry Dillon, and Noah Kohll supporting on keyboard, bass, and 2nd guitar respectively. Right off the bat they started the show strong. After the first song, Nick broke a drumstick! The front row shifted constantly because of all the movement from the pit, some even dared to crowd surf. The ones that were lucky enough not to be pulled by security were having the time of their lives. After about five songs, I meandered my way to the back of the venue. To my surprise, the fans were dancing and singing just as much as the front row; the energy was matched throughout. It seemed like everyone in Purgatory was so into the music, no distractions. Along with their new album, “Heaven Surrounds You”, they played some classics from their 2015 album “Buds”.
Just when I thought the crowd couldn’t get any wilder, Nick starts singing their new single, Disco. Not even 20 seconds into the song, he jumps into the crowd to join the pit and everyone is singing and dancing together in synchrony. His melodic voice created a mesmerizing two minutes enticing everyone in the crowd the sing along. The combined singing and the shouts of the crowd made the show so captivating. Surf curse maintained a high energy personal performance the whole night. If you have the chance to see surf curse on their remaining tour or in future shows I highly recommend it. For future dates check out https://www.surfcurse.com
Photo Credit: Sofia Sonora