Chat Pile at Mohawk with Nightosphere and Gouge Away

By Lillian Jones

Local Music Assistant

Waking up to a gray and slightly humid sky on Sunday, February 16th was the perfect way to begin my day that would end with seeing Chat Pile. Chat Pile is a four-piece from Oklahoma City that makes music that can best be described as grotesque, guttural and maybe a little mysterious. My introduction to the group was through their God’s Country album with songs like “Pamela” and fan favorite, “grimace_smoking_w**d.jpeg”. I was instantly hooked by their heavy bass and vocal theatrics!

In October of 2024, they released their third album, Cool World, prompting their 2025 tour. Austin was their third stop on the tour and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to attend their sold out show. As I drove towards downtown Austin, my anticipation grew as the temperature outside decreased and a headache began to form in my skull. Setting up the most perfect way to go to a Chat Pile concert alone – miserable! 

Upon arriving at Mohawk, I found my footing in a sea of black and camo patterns. Of course, I  was wearing my camo jacket and fit right in. Looking around, everyone was bundled up in sweatshirts, coats, and layers to combat the cold. But even with Mohawk being the most packed I’ve ever seen, the body heat could only do so much to battle the 30 degree weather. I found my footing amongst middle-aged men with a smell of beer and cigarettes lingering through the air.

NIGHTOSPHERE

Opening the show was Nightosphere – a three-piece, female fronted group from Missouri. For some reason, Nightosphere felt like an unexpected band to be opening for Chat Pile. Their music is much more melodic, similar to a band like FaeTooth. As their set went on, I found them to be more complimentary than I initially thought by being very bass heavy and including tempo changes throughout a majority of their songs. 

While not being what I expected to welcome me to a night of sludge and anguish, they exited the stage and took a fan with them! If you’re intrigued by witchy shoegaze, I highly suggest listening to their Katabasis album and their cover of “Killing Moon”. 

GOUGE AWAY

Next on the bill was Gouge Away – a female fronted hardcore band from Florida. Entering the stage, an electronic sample played the band’s name repeatedly, which would reoccur throughout the set. I was immediately intrigued by the vocalist, Christina Michelle. She pranced around the stage in a mini skirt, buttoned up cardigan and a high ponytail while smiling through strained screaming. She instantly reminded me a lot of Scowl’s Kat Moss, but without the brightly colored hair. 

During the set, they took a second to talk about their love for Austin. They mentioned how it’s become a second-home to them over the years of touring here. After the break, Michelle opened their next song “Consider” with the statement, “f**k ICE forever.”

CHAT PILE 

Finally after a three hour wait, the speakers abruptly started to play “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones (AKA the main theme song from the Austin Powers franchise) and out walked Chat Pile! Vocalist, Raygun Busch, began the set by shouting out Austin, giving it the nickname “Stin City,” in reference to their bassist Stin. He also acknowledged the cold weather, letting us know that he was warming up to taking off his shirt since it was so cold he could “cut glass with these things.”

Busch’s humorous demeanor was prevalent throughout the entire set as in between each and every song he talked about Texas films. My favorite one of his film tangents being, “Controversial statement, I like Alita more than Avatar. F**k Avatar, everybody here boycott the new movie just because!”, after stating that Alita: Battle Angel is technically a Texas Movie due to director Robert Rodriguez being born in San Antonio. Later he of course showed praise for Austin cult classics: Slacker and Dazed and Confused. 

When not talking about movies, I became enamored with Busch’s stage presence. Busch’s theatrics are not only heard through his vocals ,but also seen through his movements. I can best describe watching him on stage as watching a drunk uncle do karaoke in the best way possible. During the third song, “Rat Boy”, he embraced the cold, taking off his shirt while growling into the mic. Beyond his silly demeanor, I found myself impressed by Busch’s vocal abilities. He would go from casual talking to deep, guttural growling into strained, pleading screams with little to no effort. Something that needs to be witnessed live to really process. 

While Busch held a lot of attention, I was also impressed with the other members of the band. Listening to their music through headphones did not do justice to the actual musical talents of guitarist, Luther Manhole, bassist, Stin and drummer, Cap’n Ron. Their ability to be in sync with each other was otherworldly to watch. Specifically, at the end of “I Am Dog Now”, they all watched each other to perfectly sync playing fast riffs and chord progressions to completely stopping for a few beats just to start back up again and continue that pattern. I was in awe watching them. They all had a very casual demeanor to them as well. The entire band was dressed in just jeans, t-shirts and had a disheveled look – almost like they had just woken up from a nap, making it all the more impressive. 

Ending off the night, Busch shouted out Dallas, giving it the nickname, “The Cursed City”, before playing their track “Dallas Beltway.” The band promptly walked off the stage after ending the song, only to reappear shortly for their encore. Austin got a bit of a special treat as Busch announced “Garbage Man” – their favorite song to play live and Austin being the first to hear it on tour so far. As a last hurrah, the crowd put any last energy they had into shoving, head banging and stage diving as Busch yelled the lyrics, “I’m garbage”, repeatedly. After ending their actual last song, the band walked off stage for the final time, and “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by Soulja Boy played through the speakers, prompting the audience to exit the venue. 

While being all alone in a cold, packed crowd of middle aged men covered in spilled beer is not the most ideal scenario for a 20 year old girl, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! As I drove back down I-35, my head was pounding and my eardrums were shot, but I was so thrilled to have experienced Chat Pile in person. Their music truly is a whole different experience live than through streaming and I highly suggest catching them the next time they’re in town.