Live review: Agnostic Front and Murphy’s Law live at The Sanctuary

Hamtramck, MI – 15 Mar 2025

Hardcore is clearly alive and well in the Motor City.

The most violent hardcore shows I’ve ever been to were in Detroit. DRI, Suicidal Tendencies, Negative Approach, Cold As Life, GBH, and The Exploited all come to mind. I fully expected Agnostic Front to join that list. While there was a steady stream of crowd surfers and an active circle pit, the overall atmosphere was surprisingly friendly. As a matter of fact, the Hamtramck stop of the New York Blood Tour was really a Big Apple meets Motor City love fest. 

Up and coming Buffalo, NY band Violent Way kicked things off with style at the Sanctuary on Saturday, March 15. The trio of imposing looking skinheads took no time at all to win over the crowd, and definitely made the most of their half hour. Their music is an aggressive combination of oi and hardcore. The guitars are heavy and metallic, and the vocals are pure gravel. Somehow they pulled off a rock solid cover of Buzzcocks’ relatively sensitive “What Do I Get” to close their set. You’re definitely going to want to keep your eyes on these guys. 

Murphy’s Law added their typical dose of levity, even as they played their thrashiest set in years. Singer Jimmy Gestapo must have told the audience that he loved us at least ten times. He made some well received off color jokes, and talked extensively about V8s and building cars in Detroit. He brought a youngster up to help sing “Cavity Creeps”, before sending him off crowd surfing. There were songs about brew, weed and BBQ, and lots of fun. 

Last time I saw Murphy’s Law, quite a few years ago, they were touring with one guitar player and Angelo Moore (Fishbone) on sax. That was a different, much more ska and party oriented set. This time around they stuck to their NYHC roots with a dual guitar attack. It’s a testament to the band really being able to cover a lot of musical ground. They finished their 45 minute set with the Fleetwood Mac–Rezillos–Youth Brigade classic “Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In”. While I didn’t see anybody getting their head kicked in, I definitely saw a guy leaving with a broken wrist. 

The show was all ages, and Agnostic Front was on stage by 9:50. (The whole shooting match was over by 10:40.) Things started out a little rough, with Roger Miret’s vocals inaudible for the first three of four songs. After that got sorted, the sold out crowd was treated to some of the greatest New York hardcore songs of all time. You know the ones – “Victim In Pain”, “Blind Justice”, “Friend Or Foe”, “The Eliminator”, “Toxic Shock”, “Crucified”. Songs about unity, family, hardship, trust and betrayal. Songs that defined a genre. 

Miret was the rock in the center of the stage, while the other original member, guitarist Vinnie Stigma, bounced around like a spider monkey. At one point he went into the audience and shredded while the pit raged around him. He’d get bumped and spin around without missing a beat. He even took lead vocals on one song. The guy is definitely an ageless wonder. When people say “Hardcore Lives!”, Stigma should be exhibit A. 

More recent songs were well received too. “For My Family” had almost everyone singing along, and “Gotta Go” had EVERYONE singing along. Jimmy G joined them for a song, as did the members of Violent Way. Agnostic Front finished things up with a nod to the old school. A decade before hardcore took over CBGBs and punk in general, Ramones, Dead Boys, Television, and Talking Heads were speaking to a different generation. “Blitzkrieg Bop” was a fitting end to a rare evening where every band left us wanting more.

Confessions of a merch whore: I couldn’t resist grabbing Violent Way’s self-titled 7”. I also got Agnostic Front and Murphy’s Law patches that Mrs. Trauma will probably never sew on my vest.