On Saturday, November 1st, Hamilton Street in Charlotte pulsated with people who packed the Fillmore Underground for a sold out show from Loathe, a heavy metal-core band from Liverpool, England. Traffic crawled and parking was scarce — a sure sign that something loud and lively was about to happen. Just next door, R&B star Giveon was serenading fans at the Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater, but for those craving distortion, the Underground was the place to be.
The night opened with Spy, a San Francisco Bay Area hardcore band who wasted no time in setting the tone of the show, coming off the release of their Seen Enough EP in February of this year. Peter Paelak commanded the stage, bodies surged, and the front rows turned into a storm of limbs and feet. Heads swayed and barricades shook as the band played and prepared the crowd for a rowdy night.
Trauma Ray, emerging from Fort Worth, Texas’s underground scene, took the stage bathed in lime-green light, a playful homage to their 2024 release, Chameleon. Fans crowd-surfed, passed from hand to hand, as the band’s sound drifted through a haze of shoegaze textures and dreamlike tones, and despite the shift in style, the energy never dropped.
When Loathe finally emerged, the room erupted. Lights sliced through the dark on the stage, and the room didn’t just cheer — it roared. The set unfolded like a fever dream. The set blended emotions — riffs roared, silence shimmered, and the crowd gave itself over completely.
While the inside of the venue burned with life, the city outside lay sleepy and still outside,The air was cold and blank, the world moved on, but inside, November 1st left ringing ears, racing hearts, and a memory that lingered long after the lights went down.
Loathe, Trauma Ray, Spy at Fillmore Underground – 11/1/25 (Photo Gallery)
All photos by Benny Bertolini (@benny4eyes)
