Exploring the depths of punk at Lose Yourself

Jonah Eggers (front) and Asher Abolafya (back) of Give Me The Money. Photo by Luciano Ratto.

“Nothing’s perfect.  I think that life isn’t perfect and that should be celebrated.”

So says Sonya Kagan, the fashion designer behind Lose Yourself–a combined punk and fashion show. With beautifully messy performances, a market featuring tons of DIY vendors, and an enthusiastic crowd that sold out the Vera Project’s gallery space, Lose Yourself was just that: a celebration of the imperfect.

The conception for Lose Yourself came from both Kagan and Seattle band Give Me The Money, who had the idea to model Kagan’s clothing on an array of local bands rather than professional runway models. GMTM bassist/vocalist Jonah Eggers speaks to the show’s intentional combination of music with fashion, saying, “We wanted to include the fashion aspect because we really want to include other art forms besides music into our performances.” 

Kagan worked with each band–GMTM, Faith in Strangers, Mold Mom, and Beautiful Freaks–to create unique outfits for each member, which they then wore for their respective performances. Personalization was key to Kagan’s design process for Lose Yourself; she tells me, “I looked at what I had, I got people’s measurements, and I was like ‘ok, what would suit their personality? What would suit them?’ I just created clothes based off of that, you know? I allowed myself to really experiment, so definitely not sticking to any plan.”

Experimentation and spontaneity seemed to not only be important to Kagan, but to the bands as well. Though Lose Yourself was called a “punk show,” a more accurate term might be “punk-adjacent,” seeing as each band brought a drastically different take on the genre. From the usage of electronic elements to the fusion of punk with genres like noise and jazz, no performance was like another, unlike many other punk shows you’ll find around Seattle. Eggers says, “The scene is full of grunge and classic fast punk stuff, which is cool and everything, but we appreciate the uniqueness and individuality that separates these bands from the rest of the scene.”

The night began with an electrifying performance by Faith in Strangers, a four-piece band blending elements of punk, metal, hardcore, and a bit of chilled-out rock. Though opening a show can prove intimidating for some bands, Faith in Strangers showed no hesitation as they launched into their first song, making a pit break out from the very beginning. Equally as impressive as the band’s energy was their musicianship; tight playing combined with intricate song structures made for a performance that was equally as fun to listen to as it was to mosh to. Heavy-hitting songs gave way to slower, melodic sections at times, breaking any sense of monotony that you might expect from other heavy bands. Though the majority of the crowd was pushing and hitting each other, Faith in Strangers’ music felt like something you could dance to as well, with a solid groove being the common thread through each song. 

Jonah Eggers of Give Me The Money. Photo by Luciano Ratto.

Give Me The Money took the stage next, delivering what I thought was the high point of the night’s sets. A self-proclaimed “moneycore” band, GMTM draws from influences like breakcore, electronic, and harsh noise, creating a sort of quintessential 2020s punk sound. But even more impressive than their music was their fearlessness as onstage performers. At one point, Eggers climbed on top of a wall, which they began slowly walking across, while guitarist Asher Abolafya took a running start to jump into the crowd. I was never sure what they were going to do next, and the feeling of suspense made their set all the more exciting.

Though many audience members had never seen GMTM before, it was clear they had won everybody over by the end of their last song. More than any of the other bands, GMTM wasn’t afraid to get up close and personal with the crowd, whether that was from dancing with them, hopping into the pit to get pushed around, or screaming right in the faces of everyone up front. For GMTM, the stage extended into the audience, which gave a more personal, immersive feel to their performance. As autotuned, pitched-up vocals rang out over heavy breakbeat drums and noisy guitar, GMTM brought the energy in the room to its peak, taking the crowd with them on a musical roller coaster.  You can watch an excerpt of their set here.

Kennady Quille (L) and Sofiiak (R) of Mold Mom. Photo by Luciano Ratto.

Having to follow GMTM’s set was no easy task, but riot grrrl powerhouses Mold Mom took it on with enthusiasm. With their drummer unable to make the show, singer/guitarist Sofiiak and singer/bassist Kennady Quille leaned hard into their more experimental side, beginning with a noise set before launching into their songs. Their set had a slight feeling of being filler, but only in the sense that it provided a slightly quieter, contrasting sound after two full bands. However, that didn’t stop the audience from having just as much energy. As the crowd danced the night away, the band tossed out bagged pieces of bread with “Mold Mom” written on them in Sharpie, screaming, “Don’t eat it! Let it mold!” The duo made the most of the fairly short time they spent performing, packing a plethora of musical genres and interests into their performance. Mold Mom is certainly a band to keep an eye on as they continue to push the boundaries of musical exploration. 

Beautiful Freaks playing the final set of Lose Yourself. Photo by Luciano Ratto.

The night’s closer was Seattle punk superstars Beautiful Freaks–a band that, no matter how many times I’ve seen them, always manages to captivate me with their passionate performances and constantly evolving songs. By the time the Freaks took the stage, the crowd had thinned considerably, but it was clear that everyone who had stuck around was a dedicated fan of the band. Playing songs from their recent EP 80HD as well as older and unreleased material, Beautiful Freaks created a sonic landscape with synths, noisy guitars, solid drums, and, of course, a healthy amount of screaming. They laid the night to rest on a solid high note, ending their set by laying down on the ground and letting feedback fill the room.

Through all the music and energy that kept the night alive, it was easy to forget about the fashion aspect of Lose Yourself. However, Kagan’s designs worked in tandem with each band’s performance, further enhancing the individuality and energy of each member onstage. Eggers tells me “It kind of felt refreshing to be wearing a piece of art that’s so cool and so specialized to us and our personalities. I think it made me feel a lot more comfortable out there on stage and I felt like I was able to have a greater energy output during my performance.” 

When I asked how it felt to see the bands performing in her clothes, Kagan told me, “It’s amazing. I loved it. It was surreal, honestly. It was like ‘damn, I did that and they’re looking extremely happy and just so cool.’ I was just so glad I was able to be part of that journey. I think that was really beautiful.”

Lose Yourself, believe it or not, was Kagan’s first ever fashion show. And for her, this is only the beginning.

“I definitely want to start a company,” she says. “Also just collaboration with artists. I think that’s kind of my passion, just being able to do really beautiful things and create really beautiful things with beautiful people. That’s the most important thing to me.”

Faith in Strangers, Give Me The Money, Mold Mom, and Beautiful Freaks performed at the Vera Project on January 13th. You can follow them on Instagram to hear about upcoming shows and releases: @faithinstrangersband @moldmomband @give_me_the_money_band @beautifulfreaksonline. You can also follow Kagan @sonya.kagan to keep up with her work.