A Night in the Skate Bowl with Militarie Gun and Spite House
Militarie Gun’s show at Ladybird Skatehouse in Tilburg felt informal in the best possible way. Instead of a raised stage, the band played directly in the skate bowl, surrounded by the crowd. There was no boundary between the bands and audience, which made the whole night feel shared rather than watched.
Montreal band Spite House opened the evening with an intense but emotional set. Their sound draws heavily from ’90s post-hardcore and emo, with clear nods to bands like Jawbreaker. Thick, layered guitars created a heavy atmosphere, while the vocals stayed raw and personal. Much of the material came from their 2025 album ‘Desertion’, whose themes of grief, guilt and loss came through strongly live. Even early in the night, the room felt attentive and emotionally engaged rather than just loud.
When Militarie Gun started, the energy immediately shifted upward. Frontman Ian Shelton walked straight into “B A D I D E A”, the best-known track from last year’s ‘God Save the Gun’. Playing on the floor meant constant movement around the band — people singing along, small mosh circles forming and breaking apart and Ian joking between songs about the band members not being the tallest.
The set was long, around twenty songs, and it both opened and closed with ‘B A D I D E A’. Hearing it again at the end of the set felt fun rather than repetitive. One of the most memorable moments though came with the acoustic song ‘Daydream’ dedicated to lost family members. The room grew noticeably quieter, and the emotion in the song felt genuine instead of dramatic.
There were also small moments of tension. Near the end of the set, the guitarist struggled with technical problems and became visibly frustrated, eventually throwing his guitar to the floor. It didn’t ruin the mood, but it reminded everyone that this was a live, imperfect performance.
After the final song, many people stayed in the skate bowl to talk with the band, shake hands and congratulate them on the new album. That lingering atmosphere summed up the night well. The show wasn’t polished or distant. It felt close, emotional and very real — exactly the kind of setting where this music makes the most sense.
