The Soakers, with The Glitter Bombs and Wasting Tuesday @ The International 10.07.2026

The choice of band name says it all. Is The Soakers a nod to the sweat that emanates from their bodies as they bounce around the stage during a high-energy show? Is it a gesture to the hypocritical sexual machinations of LDS youth? A suggestion of libertine freedoms flaunted by song and album titles like “Vasectomy for Christmas” and Domestic Aneurysm (Premature Ear-jaculation)? Or a subtle hint at their willingness to bust some teeth at sellouts who cross picket lines to host their music on Spotify? Maybe all of the above?

Whatever your own brand of unwholesome fun, the up-and-coming band The Soakers live up to the name. I caught their show at the International Lounge on Oct. 7, 2026. Playing alongside Wasting Tuesday, a bluesy rock ensemble, and The Glitter Bombs, a female-fronted, playful pop punk band with catchy hooks, The Soakers offered the final and third act of the night’s diverse rock narrative. With a youthful spray of sarcasm, snark and sacrilege, The Soakers doused the audience with everything we’ve come to love of the punk genre: amps turned to 11, fast ditties played at 190 bpm and dick jokes. 

“Syphilis, gonorrhea, check one, check two” whinnied through the mic to arouse the crowd from the band-switch silence. From there: a slate of songs that unleashed an unholy trinity of rage aimed at the political (F Trump!), the religious (F the church!) and the corporate/institutional (F Spotify!). Jeff, the lead lyricist, songwriter and bass player, with Tim on electric and Dustin on drums, took turns manning the mic, blink-182-style, offering three separate vocal hues to all the fussing. But once the beat would drop, a slew of melodic bass and guitar lines, rhythmic vocal lines, and a well-kept beat of the likes of NOFX would swell. Even “Sacrilege” – the name of Jeff’s bari saxophone – would make an appearance during the occasional song or two from their earlier repertoire (circa 2024) that featured a more ska-infused vibe. Of their best conceptually, however, was their short 2026 single, “Not My Streaming Platform,” that spoke directly to Spotify: “You found The Soakers but please be warned / We don’t want our music on a platform / That recruits an army to invade our cities / They don’t know oligarchs are shitty / Spotify sells military weapons / Spotify takes artists’ possessions / Making sure we all pay the price / So they can recruit for ICE.”

During my preshow chat with band members, I asked them the ultimate Rorschach test of a question to interpret as they will. A simple “What the hell?” Responses came in three forms. First, the reflective: “It’s hard to not be pissed off these days, and anger doesn’t have to be the response. As a drummer it feels pretty damn good to let those out through music.” Then the evasive: “I’m playing in a band with my friends, why not?” Then the straightforward: “Our lyrics and our music is the ultimate answer to ‘What the hell?’” In the end, their music says it all. From their band name to their raw, uncensored style to the lyrics that inject playfulness into serious landscapes, I say what the hell, indeed. —Remy Stark

Read more about local concerts:
Soap Charge w/ DIY Suicide, PoGoStiX and Power Beer 09.10.2026
Real Villains w/ Filth Lords, Ribbons and PoGoStiX @ Aces High Saloon 08.21.2026

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