The Phlegms

The Phlegms are a four-piece post-punk group based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. From their humble beginnings as de facto house band at the iconic rail depot turned DIY venue, Backspace, the band has gone on to release five EPs and one single as well as packing out venues alongside artists including Protomartyr, Mannequin Pussy, and Calvin Johnson. The members that would come to make up The Phlegms were initially brought together one night on a shared bill between vocalist Avery Martin’s then indie-punk group, The She, and self-described “rock” band Peter and the Grants, featuring drummer Grant Williams, guitarist Peter McKitrick, and then bassist Ethan Nash. At the prompting of Williams, Martin joined the boys on stage, leading the chorus to one song (“they don’t like my hair, they don’t like what I wear”). This happenstance collaboration helped them realize the potential to incite mayhem in a room packed full of sweaty bodies. The Phlegms have become an idiosyncratic and volatile element in their home state of Arkansas, combining Martin’s vocals, which oscillate between quivering melodies a la Steven Malkmus and snarling declarations gleaned from Selene Vigil (Seven Year Bitch), with the band’s instrumentation, which pays homage to the melodic elements of post-hardore bands like Fugazi as well as the blunt, riff-based attack of pantheon rockers like Rage Against the Machine. This volatility is represented not only in their sound but also in Martin’s lyrics. They are equal parts observation and confrontation, broaching subjects including mental health, sexual violence, and the intricacies of modern relationships which audiences have echoed back since the early DIY house shows where the band cut their teeth through appearances on larger stages, including Format Festival in 2022. After releasing two EPs with the original lineup, “Self-titled”(2017) and “Smile”(2018), Nash relocated to New York City and Aron Brymer, also a member of Phlegms’ side project, Bambis, was added as bass player. Since then, the band has gone on two releases: an EP of early demos, “Spit”(2020), and a single, “Filtering”(2021). The Phlegms will release their first full length album in 2024.