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Shudder To Think

Oct 31, 2025 By Matthew Berlyant Photography by Matthew Berlyant Web Exclusive

Unexpectedly, ‘80s/’90s post-hardcore legends Shudder To Think reunited earlier this year playing several shows in Los Angeles (where singer Craig Wedren relocated to in the 2000s after many years of living in New York) followed by an appearance at the annual Riot Fest in Chicago, much to the delight of long-time fans who were overwhelmed with joy at seeing them play for the first time since intermittent 2007-2008 and 2013 reunion shows. Given the rapturous response that these shows received, it was natural that they added some East Coast tour dates. Among these were two shows on the same day here in New York, the early one at Club 101 (in the space occupied for over 30 years by the legendary club The Pyramid), the later one a mere seven block walk south on Avenue A at the venerable Mercury Lounge, a still going indie-rock club holding down the fort in a neighbourhood that has seen much of the old scene that sustained it move to nearby Brooklyn in the last 15-20 years or so. It also happens to be the site of their very first reunion appearance in 2007, bringing this evening full circle.

As such, this evening resembled nothing less than a throwback to the club’s storied 1990s and 2000s heyday. Simply put, Shudder to Think just dominated, and by the looks of it, they were having an absolute ball doing it. Going on at around 11pm and opening with “Shake Your Halo Down” (from 1992’s Get Your Goat), the setlist combined many selections from their major label era (1994’s landmark Pony Express Record) with just as many selections from their earlier years on Dischord Records, particularly 1991’s Funeral at the Movies EP (their absolute peak and a record I’ve literally listened to hundreds of times since discovering it shortly after its release back in high school) and its 1992 follow-up, the aforementioned, almost-as-great Get Your Goat, with “Red House,” “Lies About the Sky,” “Funeral at the Movies,” “Pebbles,” “She Wears He-Harem,””X-French Tee Shirt” and their wonderful, twisted cover of The Atlanta Rhythm Section’s “So Into You” (complete with an ethereal introduction that exploded gradually into ecstasy) being among the many highlights.

Furthermore, just a few days before the show, the band surprise released a brand new 7” EP on Dischord and played both of its songs, “Thirst Walk” and “Playback.” Thankfully, they fit in seamlessly with the rest of the set and weren’t the “bathroom break” (as if anyone could even move amongst the sold-out crowd while they were playing) type material so often common with newer material when old, beloved attempt it. You have to love a surprise PHYSICAL release in the era of streaming, especially when the material is this good and up to snuff.

It should also be noted that “Hit Liquor,” while being one of the highlights of Pony Express Record as well as of this show, first appeared in a different recording as the A-side on a 1992 7” on Dischord Records. In fact, it was their swan song for the label as well as their first release with guitarist Nathan Larson (also formerly of the incredible Swiz, whose discography was just reissued on a beautiful, career-spanning box set on Dischord, but I digress) and former Jawbox drummer Adam Wade, both of whom replaced long-time guitarist Chris Matthews and drummer Mike Russell, respectively.

This is notable because Wedren, Larson, and Wade are still at the core of Shudder to Think in 2025, alongside newer members Jherek Bischoff and Clint Walsh, and the chemistry between all five musicians was palpable and contagious. If I had ANY minor complaints about their set at all, it was that nothing from before Funeral at the Movies (particularly 1990’s incredible Ten Spot) was played, nor was there anything from 1997’s underrated and underheard 50,000 B.C. (an album which badly needs a vinyl reissue, but again, I digress). As the band explained before exiting the stage after a rousing encore of “Earthquakes Come Home,” these were the only songs they knew. Expect more to be added to future setlists next year as the band embarks on more extensive touring.