Downtown Mobile’s underground music scene will get one last showcase before 2018 arrives when The Merry Widow hosts a three-band bill on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door for a lineup that spans several corners of the city’s heavier and more politically charged musical traditions.
Headlining the night is a reunion of Criminal Class USA & the Hush-Hush Revolution, a street and folk punk outfit known for politically charged lyrics and a devoted local following. The band built its reputation on high-energy live shows that mix punk urgency with folk instrumentation, and its return to the stage after time apart is expected to draw longtime fans back out for the holiday weekend.
Also on the bill is Black Titan, a stoner and doom metal band that spent much of 2017 rebuilding momentum after solidifying its lineup. The group leans on heavy, bottom-end riffs, punishing rhythms and growled vocals to deliver the kind of immersive, weighty sound associated with the doom metal genre.
Rounding out the show is Future Hate, fronted by vocalist Miranda Macabre, whose blend of punk and speed metal stands out in a Mobile scene where female-fronted underground acts remain relatively rare. The band has been touring behind its latest release, “Potboiler,” which has found an audience both in the U.S. and in Japan, suggesting the group’s fast, aggressive sound is resonating well beyond the Gulf Coast.
The show continues The Merry Widow’s role as one of downtown Mobile’s key stages for original and underground music, giving local acts across genres, from folk punk to doom metal to speed metal, a home for shows that might not fit neatly into a more mainstream venue’s booking calendar.