The 10 Unwritten Rules of DIY Shows

It’s an easy (albeit flawed) argument that pop culture has become too soft and polished compared with the rowdier days of underground art scenes. Too often, we walk a tightrope between appreciating the CBGBs and all-night Andy Warhol parties of old while trying not to fall into a “back in my day” perspective on society.

But then you go to an underground concert and find yourself in somebody’s house, basement, side room, laundromat, convenience store, you name it, and you realize the West is just as wild as it’s always been; you just need to know where to look.

I've been lucky enough to see it up close since January 2024, after the launch of Zound Sounds B-Side. Since then, we've just about seen it all. One night, a crowd-surfer ordered the wave of hands beneath to launch him into the ceiling, which they did, and he kicked a dent into one of the lights. Another night, a bassist took all his clothes off before climbing onto an amp and jumping back to the floor on the song's last note.

But it’s not all chaos. Some nights yield the sort of bizarre brilliance you couldn’t find in a conventional venue, like a classical pianist performing alongside a live painter as a chef serves you food, or an immersive musical about developing tinnitus that was written by a 16-year-old.

No matter what kind of night you find, the thrill of entering a space with no rules will never get old. But with the lack of rules comes a set of responsibilities that audience members, venue managers and bands too often overlook. Irritated by repeated violations of these unwritten social contracts signed upon entering DIY spaces, we've drafted loose guidelines for surviving and thriving in the underground art scene. Think of them as the sacred Ten Commandments, only without the "thou" and the "shalt" and substituting the existential threat of hell with some passive-aggressive shaming.

1. No Meet-Cutes

For as few people who go to DIY shows looking for their soulmate, even fewer want to be approached and/or propositioned by you. These rooms tend to be cramped, sweaty and dirty, none of which sounds appealing romantically. Let your freak flag fly, just don’t fly it in other people’s vicinity, please. If you must, holding out for a post-show Instagram DM is acceptable, but your college friend’s mom’s guest room is not the place for meet-cutes.

2. Pay for Your Ticket

Even the fully funded venues with companies backing them are barely scraping by. Now imagine the small room with zero funding being operated and equipped almost entirely as an extracurricular for all involved. There’s a reason most DIY places don’t last long. It’s hard work, and there's rarely any money in it. So, for the rare times when a place can be rewarded for its work, at least financially, it’s up to the audience to do it. Suck it up, pay what the ticket costs. Most of the time, it’s way cheaper than any proper venue is going to be. If you’re going to try to skirt that, either by sneaking past the door or pulling out the “I’m with the band,” it’s best if you stay home.

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Dream Fever at Which House, a now-closed Denton DIY venue.

Diego Hernandez

3. Stay for All the Bands

What else are you going to do on a Tuesday night? We get it, you only know the guys in the first band, and you don’t want to sit around for a 45-minute changeover while the next group prepares. Nobody likes that part, but the people who only know the guys from the third band especially don’t like it when the room is emptied by the time they’re ready to party. You showed up for music, now stay for music.

4. Wear Earplugs

Fair warning. DIY shows are loud. Like get-tinnitus-loud. Like you can’t hear your own thoughts on the drive home loud. Find 100 ways to tell a guitarist to turn their amp, and it’s still going to be just as bad, so it’s everyone for themselves if you want to survive. Most gas stations will have a small pack of those little orange foam earplugs. Noise-canceling AirPods are getting more popular to wear during shows, too. A balled-up napkin or toilet paper can be a huge help in a pinch. Save your ears. Nobody else will do it for you.

5. Wear Merch

Who decided that it wasn’t cool to wear merch of the artist you’re going to see? Can you think of something more illogical than trying to look nonchalant at the thing you went out of your way to be at? Wearing merch from the band you’re going to see, especially if it’s a small local artist, is a badge of honor. You’ve seen them before, you’re in the know, and you look cool while doing it. Plus, you never know what bands will blow up one day, and having a first edition T-shirt or hat is a great conversation starter. It could also be worth some money someday.

6. Stand Up Close

Audiences never really understand their power. As a group, you’re in control of the feeling in the room that night, and there’s no worse feeling than an already small room seeming smaller and emptier because everyone is lining the walls in the back. Dance! Sing! Jump around! This isn’t the cool-off you may think it is. You showed up to the party, so party.

7. 30-Minute Sets

This one is for the musicians. In an underground setting, there’s no reason for your set to be longer than 30 minutes. People probably aren’t going to know most of your songs, and each additional song on a setlist is another few minutes without some between-sets fresh air outside. You aren’t Bruce Springsteen, who’s known to play three-plus-hour shows. Half an hour could put you at one-sixth of The Boss, and that’s pretty good.

8. Enough Irony

One more for the bands. Can we stop the self-deprecating comments on stage and social media? Things like “shitty rock music from Dallas” as your Instagram bio or saying things like “we’re the worst band you’ll hear tonight” before starting. We cannot emphasize enough how lame this is and how embarrassing it is to keep up with your seven levels of irony in each comment. You made this music to be listened to, so own it. The No. 1 rule of show business is never to let the audience think they’re getting a bad show, and we see far too many bands break it before they’ve even played a note.

9. Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, But Leave The First Two at Home

We’re well aware that a sort of hedonistic lifestyle is synonymous with being a rockstar, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep it in your pants and in your car for one night. Unfortunately, speaking from experience, good on you for having such a loving partner, but we don’t need to see you pawing at them all night. Can we not leave any needles in bathrooms or coke residue on countertops? Is it possible to enjoy ourselves without hurting ourselves too? For some, maybe not, but please do your best if you’re in someone else’s space.

10. Take It Easy on the Moshing

Jumping around with strangers to the beat of a local punk song can be as fun as anything, but some of you need to relax. At what point in musical history did dancing become flying kicks and swinging helicopter punches? We'd love to not feel like a Street Fighter character while trying to enjoy music. Even the pushing and shoving can be a bit much at times, making the pit seem like a black hole that sucks you up and spits you out on the other side of the room. Here's a fair rule that we could all follow: vertical but not horizontal. Jump in the air, pump your fists, clap, but avoid lateral movement, and nobody gets hurt.