Awful House is shutting down, but not before hosting a weekend filled with underground gems

Awful House, one of the Kansas City DIY scene’s most beloved venues, is preparing to meet its premature demise this summer. The warehouse space, located in the West Bottoms, has been hosting LGBTQ- and POC-focused punk and electronic shows since September of last year — a steady schedule of spirited gigs from forward-thinking musicians. Due primarily to costs associated with rent and upkeep, the massive, loading dock garage door will close for good (to the punks, at least) at the end of July. Before then, however, there will be Awful Fest, which organizer Noelle Johnson sees as the last chance for the venue to make a positive, lasting statement about the scene. Johnson says she hopes people will note that it was a venue that specifically booked diverse acts and also “that it was a good idea” to do so, she says. 

Co-organizer and fellow Awful House tenant Lola Rat echoes the sentiment. 

“It’s been cool to see other artists come through and they’re like, ‘Cool, I don’t have to deal with a man — this is great!’” Rat says.

Taking place over the course of three days in the middle of July, Awful Fest will host three dozen acts — local, national, and international — almost all of which feature queer, femme, transgender, or POC members. Many of the artists performing at Awful Fest aren’t household names, unless you share a roof with punks, club kids, or music nerds. But the number of rare gems present makes the lineup a veritable underground music treasure chest. 

Count Baltimore rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and occasional Bear Club collaborator Eu1ogy among those gems; his savvy, intense, and experimental hip-hop will most likely spawn a mosh pit or five. Johnson and Rat also expressed particular excitement about Ariel Zetina, a Chicago club DJ and producer who has received a nod from the renowned Discwoman collective, and Prison Religion, a Richmond duo known for its throaty, eardrum-rattling noise rap. Local acts include Nancy Boys, a collaborative set from UN/TUCK artists MX.MRS, Floraviolet, and Btrfly, and the much-hyped, third-eye-open rapper Supa Flowa. (The fest’s calendar also includes early-evening workshops from Kansas City’s Anarchist Black Cross chapter and the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project.) 

“It’s really exciting to somehow know all these people,” Johnson says. “Because I really genuinely feel like they’re the next wave. I feel like their art matters more than almost anything I’m hearing.”

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Buy tickets, donate to the fest’s fundraiser page, pre-order merch, and view the full schedule at gofundme.com/awful-fest-presales. The shows are at 6 p.m. July 12, 13, 14 at Awful House (address available by request). All ages, $20 per day, $50 for a three-day pass.