Artist Spotlight: ShyGodwin

“If it makes them rich, we’ll all be sorry” was a chant heard around the world this past Wednesday night. I recently joined the band ShyGodwin as they opened for The Taxpayers at the House of Independents in Asbury Park, New Jersey. To say they killed it would be an understatement.

ShyGodwin is a hardcore punk band originating from the City of Love itself: Philadelphia, PA. Best known for rocking up basement shows across the East Coast, as well as festivals (including Femme Fest in London, UK), they’re guaranteed to break walls (well, build walls and then break them down if you catch my drift) and make some noise in the local scene and beyond. They describe themselves as “alien rejects™ sponsored by late-stage capitalism,” creating art based around the state of the world that we live in. Their smashing debut album, “Most Likely To_”, was released in 2023, featuring songs “psychoLodgy” & “song 7”, and currently has almost 20k listens on Spotify. It seems that they’ve also been gearing up for new releases on the way, playing new singles (including “do what u want”, “american circus”, and “new enemies”), as well as songs that haven’t been released yet. (If you had to ask me what my favorite song was, by the way, it’s “song 7”, which is a song that I feel like everybody has to hear live at least once in their lifetime.)

Every show that ShyGodwin does is unique in the best way possible. With screams from the top of their lungs, hard-hitting drums, a groovy bass, and heavy-hitting guitar, they get the crowd to move their feet every time. If you’ve never been to a ShyGodwin show before, I highly suggest doing so, even if punk music isn’t your thing (just maybe stay to the sides so you don’t get thrown into the mosh pit); they always make their audience feel welcome and appreciated, even letting them scream along to lyrics in the microphone from time to time. The energy was astounding; coming from someone who’s seen this band live multiple times, you can feel the dedication and love for music in every performance you see by them. They always walk on stage and leave it with the biggest smiles on their faces, always proud of their work and happy to show it. While they may not have any shows in the near future, be on your toes: they’re planning ahead. Get into them while you have the chance to brag about how you were there first.

If you want to keep up with ShyGodwin, follow them on Instagram @thebandshygodwin. Also, check out their latest music video for “american circus”, linked here.