REVIEW: BARELY ALIVE: Death by Dubstep (And I’d Do It Again)

Mar 31

3/27 @ Empire Underground, Albany

“Some concerts aren’t meant to be broken down into standout songs or technical critiques. Some reviews aren’t about highlighting a setlist or pinpointing a narrative. Some shows are just meant to be experienced.”

I didn’t walk into Empire Underground expecting some kind of life-changing moment; I just wanted to have a good time and write a good review. But something clicked somewhere between the skull-rattling bass, the flashing lights, and the heat of a hundred bodies moving in sync. I wasn’t just at a show. I was in it. Fully, completely, in a way I hadn’t been in a long time.

Maybe it was the crowd or the strangers hyping each other up like lifelong friends. Maybe it was the music: relentless, filthy, and impossible to resist. Or maybe it was the fact that for once, I stopped trying to analyze everything and just let it fucking happen.

All I know is, by the time I walked out, sweat-drenched and barely alive (I’m so sorry, I had to), I understood why people chase this feeling. And why I’d probably spend a long time trying to find it again.

This show was one of the most fun nights I’ve had out in a while. I went with my friends Olivia, Mel, and Joddy who are all big fans of dubstep, riddim, bass, and the overall rave scene as a whole. When I told them it was my first time at an event like this, they were hyped to see how I’d like it. What it might mean for me.

I was nervous walking into the venue, I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But something about the crowd made it impossible to stay that way. There’s a sense of community here that you don’t find at a lot of live shows.

People tossing out compliments if they liked your outfit, nodding in approval if they recognized the artist on your jersey. We made our way up front, which was new territory for me since I usually hang back or blend in somewhere in the middle, but my friends weren’t letting me play it safe.

By the time we got there, HVDES was about to start. She opened with a quick intro, cracked a joke about her day, and then the music hit like a slap to the face, in the best possible way.

The transition from lighthearted banter to full-on apocalypse mode was jarring but brilliant. For the next however many minutes, she threw down some of the hardest, most fantastically mixed tracks that you had no choice but to move to. The intimacy of the venue made it even more intense. Lights flashing, bass shaking the walls, visuals straight out of the underworld – it was a sweaty, headbanging blur. And when it ended, I wanted more (and debated a merch purchase).

But there was no time to reset.

BARELY ALIVE came on immediately after, giving us exactly zero time to catch our collective breath, which was necessary because HVDES had left the energy sky-high. I have no idea how long his set lasted because it never let up. It wasn’t one of those sets with high highs and low lows; it was on ten from start to finish, and I loved every second of it.

He played their originals, but he also threw in his spin on other tracks, dipping into house music at one point – which Joddy and I took as an invitation to vogue – then diving right back into filthy bass that scratched an itch in my brain.

People were jumping, hands were in the air, and hair was flying. BARELY ALIVE showed his range, mixing tracks with ease, throwing in surprises, and keeping us engaged, even while wearing an entire TV on his head that I’m sure had to be a million degrees.

Somewhere in the flashing lights and relentless drops, I had a realization. I was getting frustrated because I couldn’t figure out what to write about. I kept searching for a favorite song, a defining moment, some singular thing to latch onto. But then it hit me. Some shows aren’t about that. Some concerts aren’t meant to be broken down into standout songs or technical critiques.

Some reviews aren’t about highlighting a setlist or pinpointing a narrative. Some shows are just meant to be experienced.

So I experienced it. I let my brain snap out of writer mode and just fucking jumped around.

And yeah, a lot of that experience was feeling disgusting, drenched in sweat and dancing so hard that I felt like a big ole bag of bones. It was so hot in there that at one point, I realized I wasn’t damp. I was fully wet. But Mel saved the day, fanning me and wiping my sweat with her pashmina. A real one.

But that was just another glimpse into the kind of camaraderie this community offers. Strangers fanning each other, instantly making friends just by locking eyes, a feeling of belonging and freedom that’s hard to find anywhere else.

This was also my first time at Empire Underground, and I have to say, it’s a sick venue. The space is solid, the sound system is insane, and the lights were on another level. The visuals weren’t over-the-top, but I think that made me appreciate the music and light show even more.

When BARELY ALIVE came out for his encore, the energy was still high, but you could tell the night was winding down. As we left, I barely made it down the first set of stairs before my body reminded me what I had just done to it.

As many of you may know, walking out of Empire Underground, you hit a hill to get back to the main road…let’s just say that hill and I had beef. But even with the soreness, the cramps, the stiff knees, my ringing ears, and my sweat-soaked clothes, none of it mattered. Part of me wanted to go back for more. Part of me knew this was an experience I’d be chasing for a long time.

It was a release. A cleanse. A reminder of what matters. Being in a space like that, just moving, feeling, existing with people who share that same energy, does something to you. Since leaving, I’ve been sore, sure. But I’ve also felt lighter, more open.

Maybe that sounds corny, but I mean it.

Sometimes, you don’t need a defining moment. Sometimes, the experience itself is enough.