Out The Run knows how to make chaos feel strangely natural. Their show on November 21 in Ho Chi Minh City was another example of that rare balance they hit. It started early for a weekend event, but the room was already buzzing. The sound was clean, loud, and steady from the start. The crowd felt relaxed but ready to jump into whatever was coming next. It was one of those nights where everything clicked into place without losing the grit that makes these shows worth coming back to.
Grudgebound Find Their Voice With a New Lineup and a Dangerous Amount of Potential
Grudgebound opened the night, and for a band on only their second show, they came in with an unexpected level of weight. Their recent lineup changes added more than just a new drummer. The addition of a live DJ shifted their entire sound. The scratches and vocal manipulations blended with their dirty hardcore foundation in a way that felt confident rather than experimental. The energy they pushed out hit fast and spread through the room. This was not just a warm-up set. It felt like a statement from a band that already knows where they want to go. People who came early got rewarded with something raw and promising.
ADxHD Crash Through Genres and Politics
ADxHD took over next with a familiar presence and an unusual background. Seoul, the US, and now scattered across countries, their setup alone makes them interesting. Their sound jumps between grind, punk, hardcore and doom but somehow stays cohesive. They started a bit slower and then built into a fast emotional sprint that never fully let go. Their set had a political edge that landed well in the room. Even in the heaviest moments, they knew how to hold control and shape the energy. When they closed with their take on “Blitzkrieg Bop” the crowd lit up. It was messy and loud and exactly the kind of ending their set needed.
Blind Girls Sink the Room Into Darkness With Precision, Emotion and Absolute Commitment
Blind Girls stepped in after the noise subsided and instantly pulled the room into a different space. It was their first time in Vietnam but they played like they had been here for years. Their take on emoviolence felt sharp and personal. The rhythm section was unbelievably tight, driving everything forward with no hesitation. The guitars moved from crushing heaviness to chaotic melody in seconds. The screams had a raw honesty that hit hard. They moved through a wide part of their catalogue but the whole thing felt short because the room was locked in from the first note. The audience clearly wanted more and the band seemed equally charged by the response. With a reaction like that it is hard to imagine this being their last visit to Saigon.
District 105 Prove Their Evolution With a Premiere That Hits Harder Than Expected
After a short break District 105 came out to premiere their new EP “Chapter II: The Hated Protector” which had dropped earlier that day. They opened with “I Dream Of (My Own Death)” and hearing it live added a new tension to the track. The lullaby sample and the absence of the featured rapper gave it a strange, haunting quality. From there, they moved through their 2025 catalogue with confidence. They left their early crowd favourites behind and the room still reacted strongly. The new material has clearly found its spot. What stood out the most was how good the band sounded. Out of the whole lineup District 105 had the cleanest and most powerful mix. No matter where you stood, the sound was sharp and full, which is not something you can always expect in a packed underground venue.
KINH Close the Night With Surgical Power
KINH ended the night with a set that cut through all the leftover chaos. If the earlier bands created energy through disorder, KINH did the same through precision. They have become a key name in Vietnam’s death metal scene and the crowd treated them like one. People are waiting for their debut LP and based on their live performance, it will be worth the patience. Their riffs hit clean and heavy and their rhythm section kept everything tight. The wild mosh pits from earlier in the night turned into focused headbanging and wide circle pits. They delivered exactly the kind of closing set this night needed and left the room buzzing.
The show came together the way all good Out The Run nights do. Loud. Messy. Warm. Somehow structured, even when it looked like it should fall apart. It brought new names, returning friends and one of the strongest local acts sharing the same space without overshadowing each other. If anything, this night showed how alive the scene feels when the right people put in the work. Out The Run did it again.
Photos: Hohish Ho
