On a fall night, I venture to Chicago’s Subterranean to see Philadelphia’s They Are Gutting A Body of Water (TAGABOW), a band I’ve never seen live. The Philly quartet are on tour promoting their new Album LOTTO, which finds the band slightly departing from their maximalist tendencies in favor of songs that can be replicated live. Passing underneath the elevated train line I feel like I know what I am getting into. On paper and in my headphones, TAGABOW are verifiably one of the most influential and experimental bands in Shoegaze’s current era. Songs often dip into unexpected territories; melding niche genre experiments with unhinged electronics. I’ve read up on TAGABOW, I’ve internalized their CV, but tonight I am hoping that I can feel it. The rumble of the train passes overhead as I turn the corner to the venue.

Tonight the two opening bands are Guitar and Fib, both on Julia’s War (JWAR). JWAR is a record label with a high reputation in the underground for putting on bands that are pushing guitar music in exciting directions. Fib stood out, bringing a fusion-forward sound that felt like bonus tracks for a Mario Kart soundtrack. It was a family affair with a full bill of JWAR bands and
the label’s founder Doug Dulgarian headlining the night.

At the end of Fib’s set, the energy was set to shift for TAGABOW to take the stage. Just then, security filed on to the stage and began shining their flashlights at the ground motioning for the crowd to move back. I figured that someone at the front had passed out, but as the guards motioned the crowd to go back further and further my mind turned to the worst and I expected to see something truly terrible when the crowd stepped back. As I looked on, all I saw was an empty floor, then a rug was rolled out. TAGABOW set their amps at the foot of the stage and set up their mics among the crowd. This was to be a floor show. I no longer knew what to expect.

Dulgarian and team circled up facing one another while the crowd surrounded, not only on the floor but on the forsaken stage. The revised setup created a more communal atmosphere. It was too bad for those that were stuck on the outer reaches of the floor who would need to trudge forward for a desirable vantage point. From the floor, the tops of the band member’s heads were hard to discern from audience members. Those further back seemed content to listen, bang their heads, and dance along. There wasn’t much shoving aside from moshing. The real heads in the crowd didn’t need to see and were finely tuned to the band’s catalog. Scattered shouts of approval would come when a familiar sample played, often leading into the most distortion laden bangers.

TAGABOW’s live show tows the line between DJ set and a rock show. During drum breaks folks would put their arms in the air and unironically dance to the beat. When the riffs kicked in, the moshing commenced. The interludes felt less like detractions from the heaviness of the music , more so they assisted in the flow of the show. Pan flute, steel drum, and hand clap samples felt
permissible in the hands of TAGABOW. The crowd bobbed their heads impartially as the tangents continued. TAGABOW isn’t just putting it all on the table with their live arsenal of sounds, the proverbial table, at times, is bowing from how much is on it. It could feel like a mess to the uninitiated. I felt this push and pull before I came here tonight, what had at times felt jumbled in my headphones was brought into focus before my eyes. As I stood on even ground with the band among fans I could see the intention and the curation that has felt elusive to my ears. I left the show with a more tangible feeling for the band’s music, but less of an idea of how to categorize it.

Words and photography by Blake Correll

They Are Gutting a Body of Water at Subterranean Chicago IL 11/01/25 photo by Blake Correll

Order tickets for Thet Are Gutting A Body Of Water HERE