By Amahli Vivian
SPY has become one of my favorite hardcore punk bands since seeing them support Gel nearly two years ago. I was lucky to see SPY as the headliner at their SF show at Neck of the Woods on February 21, 2025. Presented by R’N’RG this specific show marked and celebrated their most recent record release, Seen Enough.
SPY is: Peter Pawlak (vocals), Drew Satterlund (guitar), Cody Kryst (guitar), Thomas Sherry (bass), and Josh Mendoza (drums).
The show’s full bill was impressive: Lurks, Slumped, Slugger, and Extinguish. Audience reactions to Slumped and Lurks weren’t energetic enough to start a pit (which was not fair to the bands IMO).
As SPY took the stage, people crammed closer to the stage. SPY did the complete opposite of easing their way into the music. The band’s explosive energy was easily infectious. Peter Pawlak embodied the term “frenetic.” He aggressively barked into the mic and was met with a barrage of stage divers, crowd killers, and two steppers.
SPY’s set lasted longer than the average HxC set, being around 25-30 minutes. The length never wavered the band’s or audience’s energy. If anything, it only bolstered everyone’s liveliness. From beginning to end, Pawlak shouted at the audience as the audience shouted back at him, myself included. The songs weren’t given an introduction. There simply was no need for one.
Near the end of their set, Pawlak thanked the crowd for supporting their recent release and REAL BAY SHIT’s compilation album, which features SPY and other Bay Area HxC bands. A mix of SPY’s discography was played, including some of their more well-known tracks (“Exceptional American”, ” Afraid of Everything”) to their less-than-a-day-old tracks (“Stay In Your Lane”, “My Problem”).
Perhaps the most notable highlight was Pawlak falling onto the stage floor two separate times during the set. This proved to be encouragement for the crowd to shout for an encore (this was an unsuccessful plea). I left the show covered in bruises and sweat, but satisfied. Easily one of my favorite punk shows I’ve been to.