Haywire Shirts Vs. Skins Tour 2025 at Edgemen Printing.
Austin Sparkman of Haywire at Edgemen Printing - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
A couple of days before the show, it was announced that if you came an hour or so early they would custom screen print a Haywire shirt (bring your own shirt). I grabbed a Bad Beat and a Strange Magic shirt that I had bought at previous Edgemen Printing shows (but never wore) and got in line to have them screen printed on the back. The line was long, but it went fast and the quality was perfection (they even had a machine to dry them afterwards, in just a minute or so). With that complete, we still had time for a quick bite before the show so we headed over to La Michi Michi (just a block away) for tacos. It was amazing, and will likely be part of the experience for any show at Edgemen going forward.
There were four sets before Haywire would take the "stage" (there is actually no stage at Edgemen), and we made sure to be there early to catch them all. Nuff Said opened up, followed by No Leash. Nuff Said released a single "Enemy" in 2024, and more recently a four song demo "A Real Perspective" that includes guest vocalist Nathan Laytart of Lyuda on the song "Coldwater" (look for the video on YouTube). They killed it. I'd seen No Leash once before when they opened for Conservative Military Image and H8 Inc. at Sanctuary Detroit in 2024. They have a couple of releases from 2024 (a pair of three song demos "Not The Rose" and "No Leash Demo"), and a couple more from 2025 ("The Kids Will Have Their Say" and "Bulletproof" which is brand new). All of their stuff is worth checking out if you can't see them live.
Juicebox at Edgemen Printing - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Juicebox and Prevention were up next. Juicebox was from Houston TX, had a female singer (screamer), and from the poster it looks like they played 13 shows with Haywire on their current tour. I was somewhat familiar with Prevention (from Springfield, IL) because I had reviewed their split with Anklebiter last year (Anklebiter being one of my favorite bands at the time). Both sets were short but intense, and the crowd was ready for Haywire.
Haywire at Edgemen Printing - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Haywire opened with an excerpt from Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and then went directly into their theme song "Haywire". The crowd was about as big as possible, with people filling in every area in front of, to the side of, and behind the band that was possible. I moved behind the band, expecting things to get crazy and that is exactly what happened. They continued with a set that included favorite "Clocktower Place" and with breaks in between songs where frontman Austin Sparkman told stories about growing up adopted, drug addiction, learning about hardcore through YouTube videos, bands playing at his house as a teenager, and his adopted father. At one point Austin put local Jameson Walter Adams III Jr. on his shoulders to sing "Love Song".
Haywire covered The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry", along with 3 consecutive Hatebreed covers (including "Empty Promises" and "Smash Your Enemies") where Austin took over on guitar and another band member filled in on vocals. But the craziest moment of the show was undoubtedly when Austin climbed up onto one of the large shelving units several feet above the heads of the crowd and did a full flip stage dive. Another incredible show at Edgemen Printing.
