Bass Drum of Death Ignite The Beat Kitchen

Steve Sym
Oct 3
2 min read

Updated: Nov 16

Bass Drum of Death’s new album, SIX, feels like both a reset and a rallying cry. From the stripped-down title to the raw, collaborative writing process, the record channels the unvarnished energy that first put the band on the map. Their earliest albums were famously stitched together in GarageBand, but this time frontman John Barrett brought guitarist Jim Barrett and drummer Ian Kirkpatrick into the fold. Working out of his Nashville home studio and later fine-tuned under the hand of producer Jeremy Ferguson (Cage the Elephant, White Reaper) at Battle Tapes, SIX captures a scuzzy, full-throttle sound—equal parts Stooges ferocity and ZZ Top swagger.

That same energy tore through Chicago’s Beat Kitchen on September 24, when Bass Drum of Death brought SIX to life on stage. Playing to a packed, sweat-soaked room, the band wasted no time diving into the new material, which landed with the immediacy of longtime setlist staples. The grit and bite of SIX translated seamlessly live, with Ferguson’s polished edges giving way to a more chaotic, volatile sound that felt right at home in the intimate club setting.

On the new tracks, the band leaned into their reputation for raw, high-octane performances, while older cuts reminded fans just how deep their catalog of garage-rock anthems runs. The interplay between John Barrett’s sneering vocals and Jim Barrett’s guitar lines cut through the dense, churning low end, and Ian Kirkpatrick’s drumming kept the room locked into a relentless groove.

Six might sound like a return to form on record, but live, it proved Bass Drum of Death aren’t simply retracing old steps—they’re doubling down on the very chaos and catharsis that’s always set them apart. At Beat Kitchen, the band showed that after more than a decade, they’re still hungry, still loud, and still capable of turning a small room into a riotous, unshakable memory.

The night opened with Farmer’s Wife, whose fuzzed-out riffs and ragged melodies set the tone perfectly. Their set bridged 90s-inspired crunch with a modern indie bite, and by the time Bass Drum of Death hit the stage, the crowd was primed and restless.