The Norma Jean House Show was One for the Ages

For those that spent their formative years rocking out to the intricate ferocity of metalcore, the name Norma Jean should bring back some fond memories. One of the best things to ever come out of Douglasville, Ga., the band has been killing it since their original inception in 1997 as Luti-Kriss. Despite numerous lineup changes that have led to the departure of every founding member, the group has managed to persevere and maintain their creative consistency. Their most recent release, 2019’s All Hail, is a banger and my personal favorite of their long discography. So when I heard a rumor that the band was planning a special run of intimate shows, my ears perked up.

On January 29, Norma Jean announced a tour unlike anything they’ve done before. Dubbed the “Do the Neighbors Like You?” tour, the shows were all booked at off-the-radar venues—mostly houses on the DIY circuit. The first stop was at Mac’s Basement, a lovely house venue tucked away by Grant Park, and owned by Mac Hunt of local punk outfit Eddie Rascal. The show was organized by Jason Murray of Atlanta’s own Challenger Deep, who were one of the opening acts, along with local stalwarts the Callous Daoboys and Holy+Gold.

Challenger Deep

The Callous Daoboys

Within two hours of the announcement, the show was sold out with only 100 tickets available for purchase. Hunt’s address became one of the best-kept secrets in Atlanta for the month of February as both Hunt and Murray feared the cops would catch wind of the event or mayhem might ensue to piss off the neighbors, which was true to the meta of the whole tour.

To the delight of the hosts, the evening went off as smoothly as one could hope. All of the fans that showed up were true patrons of the metal scene, with some arriving from as far as Connecticut and upstate New York to witness this legendary event. Although all the attendees were looking forward to a wild and frenetic show, they showed reverence and respect towards the venue and the bands. Don’t get me wrong, though. It was pure chaos and constant moshing inside Mac’s Basement, with a circle pit taking up a majority of the venue most of the time. However, the raging was contained to the basement, with only huddled conversations around puffs of smoke filling the front yard. In the end, it was a surreal blessing to be at this show, a truly one-in-a-lifetime experience.

Many thanks to Shaun Krisher of Epic Photography for the killer photos.