Protomartyr at Warsaw, Brooklyn, was not so much a concert as a sustained confrontation. Taking the stage to perform their 2015 album The Agent Intellect in its entirety, the Detroit band delivered a set that felt like a series of body blows administered with precision and intent. The record’s brutal honesty—lyrically unfiltered, psychologically raw—translated into a live experience that was relentless, claustrophobic, and exhilarating in equal measure. There was little room to breathe as the sonic assault rolled forward, each thunderous drum hit and stabbing guitar line met by an audience that pulsed in lockstep with the band’s intensity.
At the center of it all stood Joe Casey, looking less like a conventional punk frontman than a Wall Street trader who had taken a hard left turn into existential fury. Blazer on, beer in hand, Casey held court at Warsaw with a deadpan authority, punctuated by an entirely on-brand mid-set piss break. His vocals—acerbic, vinegary, and razor-sharp—cut through the mix, embodying the scorched-earth worldview that defines The Agent Intellect. It is an album that demands attention and repeated listening, and hearing it live underscored just how uncompromising it remains.
For myself, The Agent Intellect has always been a record that required effort to unlock. My own entry point into Protomartyr came later, with 2020’s Ultimate Success Today, an album that offered a more immediate sonic payoff and, to my ears, a more nuanced and psychologically provocative evolution of the band’s sound. That does not diminish The Agent Intellect—it is not a lesser record—but it is one that asks more of the listener, both emotionally and intellectually.
The payoff came near the end of the night, when the band dipped into Ultimate Success Today with “Processed by the Boys,” one of the evening’s clear highlights. Its muscular drumming, jagged guitars, and corrosive vocal delivery felt like a bridge between eras, a reminder of where Protomartyr has gone since 2015 and how formidable they have become. The room responded instantly, the energy shifting from endurance to release.
There is something admirable about a band choosing to play a record straight through, especially for fans who may never have had the chance to hear those songs performed together, or for the purpose of commemorating a pivotal moment in their catalog. Protomartyr honored that impulse fully at Warsaw, delivering The Agent Intellect with total commitment and zero compromise. And while I genuinely enjoyed the show, it also reinforced a personal conviction: the band’s later work represents a more compelling destination—sonically richer, more psychologically unsettling, and ultimately more rewarding. Still, as a document of Protomartyr’s ferocity and refusal to soften their vision, this was a powerful and punishing night.
Review and Photos by Jonathan Levitt
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