Over the past few years, Louisville-based hardcore band Knocked Loose has quickly become a household name in the metal scene. From touring with bands such as Slipknot and Metallica to making appearances at major festivals like Coachella, the band has been on an upward rise that shows no signs of slowing down. The band released their most recent album You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To in 2024.
This fall, Knocked Loose embarked on the “Hive Mind” Tour, a co-headliner with rapper Denzel Curry in honor of their new collaborative single “Hive Mind.” On October 6, they stopped at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City to a nearly sold-out crowd. Overlooking the NYC skyline, the show was an experience that one would have to see to believe, with fans bringing the energy as Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry put on a performance that they would never forget.
Kicking off the night was rising Connecticut-based metalcore band Boundaries. With the release of their newest album Yearning: The unbeautiful after on July 17, the band has been making a name for themselves in the scene recently. Opening with “Malconscience,” the intro track from their recent album, the band held nothing back, quickly getting the crowd moving with heavy riffs, thunderous rhythms, and crowdkill-worthy breakdowns.
Throughout the set, the pit never slowed down for a moment, with fans moshing, two-stepping, and forming circle pits. For their track “Only endless,” one of Boundaries’ more melodic songs, vocalist Matt McDougal encouraged everyone to come up to crowdsurf, and the fans certainly listened. Surfer after surfer was carried through the venue up until the end of the song.
And to end the set with a bang, Boundaries commanded a wall of death for their final song “Easily Erased,” with the entire rooftop being split in half and colliding. After an intense set, Boundaries successfully warmed up the crowd for the rest of the night, and the energy would only go up from there.
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The second opener to take the stage was alternative rock band Superheaven. After an extensive hiatus, the band returned with a new self-titled album Superheaven in 2025, their first full-length album since 2015. Superheaven was a sharp change of pace from Boundaries’ aggressive metalcore, delivering grunge-inspired shoegaze. However, the fans seemed just as captivated by the band as they were with Boundaries. Starting with the first song of the set, fans started crowdsurfing one after another. The fans remained invested in the music until the very last note, keeping the energy up for the headlining acts.
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At around 7:30, it was time for the co-headlining sets to begin. As the lights dimmed, Denzel Curry walked out wearing a skull-like mask, standing there as cheers echoed throughout the rooftop. He announced, “You'll all know my fucking name” as he took off the mask and went into “HIT THE FLOOR” from his 2024 album KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH.
Almost immediately, the entire venue got off their feet, and constant crowdsurfers started coming through. Denzel’s stage presence commanded the crowd, getting the fans to wave their arms, mosh, form circle pits, and more. There was no shortage of energy throughout his 17-track set, with the fans getting crazier and crazier as the night went on.
Although Denzel Curry’s music may be very different from what most Knocked Loose fans are used to, that did not stop the fans from bringing true hardcore energy to his set. Denzel’s unrelenting energy inspired the crowd to be truly unhinged, as not a single person was standing still across the rooftop. The mosh pit only grew throughout the set while other fans kept crowdsurfing.
As the set came to a close, Denzel mentioned that he was going to play two covers; he then went into a medley of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” and “Bulls on Parade,” which had the entire crowd singing the lyrics. Denzel also went up to the barricade for these songs, making sure the set ended in an unforgettable way. By the end of the set, the fans certainly knew Denzel Curry’s name.
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At around 8:30, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as cheers boomed throughout the venue. A giant cross on the stage lit up as half of Knocked Loose walked onto the stage, opening with the breakdown of an unreleased track “Killing You.” Soon enough, vocalist Bryan Garris jumped onto the stage, receiving deafening cheers. The band then went into the fan favorites “Deep in the Willow” and “Everything Is Quiet Now,” and the fans took no time to start moving. Crowdsurfers started coming through in all directions as fans at the barricade were screaming along and headbanging like no tomorrow.
A Knocked Loose show is something that needs to be experienced to be believed, and this show was no different. The passion Knocked Loose fans bring is unmatched, bringing the relentless, unhinged energy of hardcore basement shows to massive venues like The Rooftop. It is no surprise that Knocked Loose have become as popular as they are, with electrifying guitar work, powerful screams from Bryan Garris, and breakdowns that can make anyone want to get into the pit. Throughout the set, at least three separate pits were happening at once and crowdsurfers kept coming through in all directions, while the rest of the fans were jumping and headbanging, probably shaking up the roof with all the movement.
In their extensive 20-song set, the band played several fan favorites throughout their discography such as “Don’t Reach for Me” from You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, “Mistakes Like Fractures” from their 2019 album A Different Shade of Blue, and “Where Light Divides the Holler” from their 2021 EP A Tear in the Fabric of Life. They also brought out Boundaries vocalist Matt McDougal for “Billy No Mates” from their 2016 breakthrough album Laugh Tracks.
As the night went on, the energy of the crowd never dwindled for a moment. Knocked Loose made sure to save some of the best moments for last, performing “Hive Mind” with Denzel Curry as the pit continued to grow. They then performed their hit “Suffocate,” which had an endless amount of surfers coming through every direction of the venue.
To conclude their set, Knocked Loose performed their iconic “Counting Worms,” which had the entire venue yelling out “ARF ARF.” But it wasn’t over yet; the band then transitioned into the outro of “Everything Is Quiet Now” and commanded the crowd to split in half for one final wall of death. The whole crowd was split, and once the breakdown hit, the entire rooftop became one massive mosh pit as everyone collided. Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry made sure to put on a show no one would ever forget, making it a unique experience that fans would be talking about for years to come.
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