Bit Brigade speedrun DuckTales & Zelda in speed-metal form at recordBar

DuckTales via Bit Brigade at recordBar. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

Thursday night saw a rollicking good time at recordBar, as Athens, GA act Bit Brigade rolled through town. One of the biggest names in video game soundtrack cover bands—alongside peers like The Protomen and The Minibosses—BB brought a headlining set that was a one-two punch of the score to the classic NES DuckTales game and the all-timer forever-stunner Zelda.

Unlike other bands in the genre who might just play recognizable tracks from across the era’s spectrum, Bit Brigade tour with a designated speedrunner in Noah McCarthy, who does a full run of each game in real-time, broadcast onto a projection screen behind the band.

The ROMs used to play the original titles have been hacked to remove the soundtrack but leave in the sound effects so that each moment of the game still resonates as a sincere, human moment amid a digital nostalgia onslaught.

Lead guitarist Williamson, rhythm guitarist Taylor Washington, drummer Mike Albanese, and bassist Luke Fields work to accompany the live playthrough as if they’re replicating the game as exactly as possible. That means switching tracks at the level, swapping songs for interludes when power-ups are gained, etc.

Zelda victory by Bit Brigade at recordBar. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

DuckTales played out like an absolute bombshell. Hiroshige Tonomura’s original tracks were brought to spectacular life, and the rhythm section of Fields and Albanese made each of these worlds feel transcendental while hammering out an absolute pulse-pounding 30-ish unbroken minutes. If there was any complaint, its simply that pro-speedrunner McCarthy is simply too good, and we could’ve cherished hearing another ten minutes or so in total.

“What’d you think of that brazen display of capitalism?” Fields asked the crowd after the game’s endscreen. “This white duck steps on snakes to get a blood diamond? Colonizer shit.”

DuckTales via Bit Brigade at recordBar. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

Fields then promised one more song for the evening, albeit a 40-minute plus track, as the team fired up Zelda.

The run was simply staggering. The songs felt immense, and dungeon by dungeon the combination of speedrunner attacks, picking up triforce pieces, and the rush of worrying that it could all fall off the rails at any moment—it was a sporting event level communal series of cheers and shrieks from the crowd. A feat of strength and dedication from all involved.

To support Bit Brigade, you can find their limited vinyl and merch via the Hello Sir Records site. The entire digital discography is up for purchase via Bandcamp.

Zelda via Bit Brigade at recordBar. // Photo by Brock Wilbur