Prurient's Dominick Fernow uses a microphone, an amp, and old distortion pedals to produce soundtracks to unforgettably horrific nightmares. He punches and roars at his equipment until an evil, abstract din erupts, expressing what he calls "the feeling of dread I get when I stare at a tile in a bathroom." One of underground noise's more prolific artists, Prurient releases six or seven records a year, collaborating occasionally with Wolf Eyes and Thurston Moore. (Fernow once included a lock of his girlfriend's hair with an album called Black Vase.) When his set ends, the more indie-leaning, local duo Xiu Xiu will display its version of brutality, delivered with show-tune–style flamboyance.
