Chaos, Catharsis, and Nostalgia Collide: Poison the Well, Glassjaw, Better Lovers, and Teenage Wrist at The Bomb Factory
April 15, 2025 – The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX
Words and Pictures by Dustin Schneider
It was a Tuesday night in Deep Ellum, but inside The Bomb Factory, the energy pulsed like a Saturday in 2003. Four bands—each representing a different chapter in the aggressive alternative music story—shared one stage and rewrote the rules of nostalgia with a night that delivered sonic punishment, emotional catharsis, and a powerful reminder that post-hardcore never really died. It just evolved. The lineup was stacked: Teenage Wrist, Better Lovers, Glassjaw, and Poison the Well. For fans of emotionally charged, sonically dynamic music—this was the holy grail. And Dallas showed up in force. The crowd was diverse: a mix of grizzled scene veterans, younger hardcore kids in patched jackets, and even some who clearly stumbled in not knowing what they were in for. No matter their reasons, by the end of the night, everyone was changed.
Teenage Wrist – Dreamy Depths Before the Storm
The night kicked off with the Los Angeles-based duo Teenage Wrist, whose unique blend of grunge, shoegaze, and alternative rock might have seemed like the odd one out on paper. But live, their sound served as the perfect mood-setter. Opening with “Sunshine,” the band filled the room with waves of reverb, catchy melodic hooks, and a wash of warm distortion that made even the coldest hearts sway. Guitarist/vocalist Marshall Gallagher delivered a mesmerizing performance, his voice floating atop a wall of sound that struck a balance between melancholy and momentum. They played several cuts from their 2023 record Still Love, including “Darksky” and “Humbug,” both of which drew a surprisingly loud response from early arrivals. The hazy textures of their sound were a sonic palate cleanser before the heavier storm that followed.
Better Lovers – The Hardcore Supernova
If Teenage Wrist invited the audience into a dreamlike state, Better Lovers snapped them awake with the force of a defibrillator. Featuring former members of Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan, Better Lovers was, without exaggeration, pure chaos incarnate. Frontman Greg Puciato is one of the most electrifying and unhinged performers in modern heavy music, and he proved it within seconds of their set starting. Launching into “30 Under 13,” Puciato erupted across the stage like a man possessed—sprinting, lunging, climbing on the monitors, and screaming his lungs out with surgical precision. Guitarist Jordan Buckley’s frenetic riffing, paired with Clayton “Goose” Holyoak’s thunderous drumming, made the entire venue feel like it was about to cave in. The pit exploded. Crowd surfers appeared almost instantly. Bodies collided in joyful, violent rhythm. And somehow, amidst all the chaos, there was a tightness to their performance that felt surgical. Songs like “Future Myopia” and “White Gorse Covered in Blood” proved that this band isn’t just riding the wave of its members’ legacies—they’re forging something entirely new.
Glassjaw – Beautiful Disruption
When Glassjaw took the stage, it felt like something sacred. For many in attendance, this was the band that cracked open the emotional and sonic possibilities of hardcore. Their presence in 2025 is rare and all the more cherished for it. Frontman Daryl Palumbo, ever the enigmatic figure, prowled the stage with a blend of swagger and spiritual fury, while guitarist Justin Beck created jagged, shimmering soundscapes that still sound ahead of their time. They opened with “Cut and Run,” and the room lost its mind. The raw urgency of Palumbo’s voice—equal parts sneer, scream, and croon—sounded just as volatile and captivating as it did two decades ago. The band tore through Worship and Tribute staples like “Ape Dos Mil,” and “Tip Your Bartender,” but also dipped into the Material Control for deeper cuts that sent die-hard fans into euphoric fits. Glassjaw’s set was perhaps the most emotionally complex of the evening. The crowd moved with reverence, not just aggression. At times, people stood still, mouths agape, watching a band that defied genres and expectations in real time. Palumbo’s voice cracked and soared, and when he howled, it sounded like he was exorcising 20 years of ghosts in front of us.
Poison the Well – The Return of the Titans
And then, as if the night hadn’t already given us enough, Poison the Well walked onstage to deafening cheers. After years of silence and sporadic reunions, their return felt both surreal and necessary. The Florida pioneers of melodic metalcore were one of the first bands to successfully bridge hardcore, metal, and emo sensibilities—and tonight, they reminded Dallas why they’re so revered.
“12/23/93” kicked things off, and The Bomb Factory erupted. The crowd screamed every word back, a visceral eruption of long-suppressed emotion. Jeffrey Moreira’s vocals were raw, pained, and perfect. His scream hasn’t lost its edge—if anything, it’s deeper, more resonant. Guitarists Ryan Primack and Chris Hornbrook (pulling double-duty on drums) ripped through the band’s complex time changes and crushing breakdowns with ease.
Their set pulled from all eras: The Opposite of December, Tear from the Red, You Come Before You, and even the more experimental Versions. Each song landed like a bomb. “A Wish for Wings That Work,” “Ghostchant,” and “Slice Paper Wrists” had the audience in a frenzy—older fans screaming the lyrics with tears in their eyes, younger ones experiencing the catharsis live for the first time. One of the night’s most powerful moments came during “Nerdy,” when the entire crowd shouted the infamous final line—“Why do you cry?”—in unison. For a brief second, The Bomb Factory became a cathedral for the emotionally unhinged, the eternally devoted, and those who still find salvation in distortion and screams.
This tour could have easily leaned on nostalgia alone, but what happened inside The Bomb Factory was so much more than a victory lap. It was a living, breathing showcase of what happens when you bring together bands that helped define and redefine the boundaries of heavy music. It was past, present, and future colliding in a beautiful, violent, melodic mess. Each band brought something different: Teenage Wrist gave us introspection, Better Lovers brought the chaos, Glassjaw delivered the artistry, and Poison the Well reminded us why we fell in love with this scene in the first place. In the end, it wasn’t just a concert—it was a communion. A celebration of survival. Of rediscovery. Of the fact that no matter how much time passes, some things still hit just as hard as the first time.
