Feb. 15 marked the debut concert of 12th grade student Xavier Hernandez and his collective, X9. Moshpits were in a frenzy, raw energy was consistent in performers and the audience, and blaring music was enough to make ears throughout the room ring. Whether it was upbeat pop-like songs or dark and gritty punk inspired music with elements of hip-hop, crowds were all for it.

The concert was notable, as expectations were exceeded by miles. The sense of community throughout the crowd and performers was unmatched. Due to nearly all of the audience either being part of the X9 community Discord server, friends of performers, or fans of the performers, connections felt much stronger.

Complete strangers were coming together to dance, make moshpits, and open up moshpits to swing each other around into the crowd. Person after person, audience members would hop into the middle of an open moshpit to be swung around.

Recommendations would be to not bring jewelry or expensive shoes, as during moshpits, concertgoers can get rowdy and step on the shoes of others and jewelry can snap off easily without you noticing.

Energetic is an understatement when it comes to these crowds. The next best thing aside from the crowds would have to be the performers. No matter how tired performers got, energy was sure to never leave the stage. Audience members were even able to come sing on stage at times throughout the concert and were easily hyped up by the performers and attendees.

The connections made between the performers and audience contributed to the show and made it much more special than it would have been without the interactions. The size of the venue only made it easy for people to get in the front of the crowd, get on stage, and keep distance from moshpits due to its small area space. It also allowed people to stay out of the main area while the moshpits took place.

Xavier talked about the experience after the concert. “It went a lot better than I expected,” he said. “I didn’t expect as many people to be jumping as there were. I didn’t even know anybody knew my songs like that. If it was up to me I would have cut the beat and let them sing it out. There wasn’t really a struggle that I faced while performing but it was really hot in there.”

He described a memory experience when he had to go to the bathroom to throw up. “They called me up to the stage to perform right while I was finishing up,” he said. “I finished the set and realized I didn’t even have my phone on me. I left everything in the bathroom and had to rush to go get it.”

He admired Punk Racks’ set, which he describes as “ridiculous in a good way.”

“He didn’t even have a full set,” he said. “He shared it with Kastlepact and it was still the best one there. Fridaythe13th was underrated. If the crowd was more active he probably would have had the best set or at least be in the top three.”

Xavier’s next concert will be at the SILO in Brooklyn at 90 Scott Ave, some time in April. With a capacity of 500 people, being over double of The Sultan Room’s, energy is sure to be much higher. For further notice, make sure to stay updated with announcements from their socials, @x9x9inee.