Ultra Q at Polaris Hall – 3.28.2025

Ryan Harlan, Radio DJ

May 27, 2025

Ryan Harlan

Ultra Q at Polaris Hall, Portland, OR

There are three certainties in life death, taxes, and me attending Ultra Q shows at Polaris Hall in Portland.

I’m a simple man, when I see, that Ultra Q is coming to Oregon; I go to the show and it’s always a pleasure to watch them play every single time. Also, that means, I’m writing another blog about an album they’ve released or show that I’ve attended

That’s right folks, buckle up; I’m going to be talking about one of my favorite bands and their latest show at Polaris Hall.

For those unfamiliar with the band Ultra Q or the lore of the band, they are a post-punk band comprised of Jakob Armstrong, Kevin Judd, Enzo Malaspina, and Chris Malaspina hailing from Oakland, California. They previously were known as Mt. Eddy and had released an album titled Chroma along with a couple of EPs before changing their name to Ultra Q, which comes from a Japanese T.V. show called Ultraman.

The band has released two albums and three EPs together under the Ultra Q moniker, their debut album titled My Guardian Angel in 2023 and recently their follow-up sophomore album Empty Eddy in 2024.

The last couple of times I saw Ultra Q was back in summer 2023 and 2024, with the last time prior to this show being when the band opened for Spiritual Cramp in summer 2024.

This time around I got to see them play for the third time at Polaris Hall and caught up with them before the show since I didn’t get to see them the last time that they were in town during the fall when they were on tour with the High Curbs and the Red Pears.

I talked with Jakob, Chris, Kevin, and Enzo before and after the show since the venue is so small and always love getting to chat with the four of them every time, I get to see them play. I didn’t get to see Enzo the last time I was at Polaris Hall, but it was great to see him this time since I hadn’t seen him in almost over a year.

This time around Ultra Q was on tour supporting Anxious a hardcore punk band from Connecticut, who was doing a U.S. tour as well as a tour for their latest album Bambi.

Ultra Q played a 10-song set list but only played nine songs as they were just one of four bands playing alongside Anxious, Stateside, and Clarity.

The setlist included songs from We’re Starting to Get Along, In a Cave in a Video Game, My Guardian Angel, and Empty Eddy. However, included two new unreleased songs that the band played that will be on a new release in the future, which were “Lost at Sea” and “Slowly Finding Joy” that may change in composition whenever Ultra Q records those in the studio.

The highlights of the show were me were the two new tracks “Lost at Sea” and “Slowly Finding Joy”, I was a real big fan of “Lost at Sea” myself particularly was a track that embraced the post punk sound that the band plays with some garage rock and classic punk rock elements intertwined together.

Other highlights from the show included the songs “Rosy”, “Sticnpoke”, “VR Sex”, and “What D’you Call It.” Although, while it wasn’t as long of a setlist compared to when I saw them open for Spiritual Cramp during the summer, I thought the songs were a great selection for such a short time that they had on stage.

I would’ve love to have heard “Beep Boop” played, I think they likely were running short on time before Anxious came on stage. That wasn’t a knock at all on the show either, one of my favorite tracks from Empty Eddy is that song and that turnaround from band to band while setting up is quick, which means you have limited time to play the songs you want to on stage.

Anxious came on the stage after Ultra Q and like the last time I went to Polaris Hall, I knew nothing about the band going into the show. I came away from their set impressed with their sound and stage presence, but I don’t think the mix in the venue did them any justice with their style of hardcore punk music especially on the track “Tell Me Why.”

Also, the crowd was one of the more intense crowds I’ve seen in terms of mosh pits with many people stage diving including the lead singer of Anxious Grady Allen getting in on stage diving as well during the show. I love hardcore punk as much as the next guy, but stage diving and mosh pits aren’t my thing myself, especially since if done incorrectly there’s a high chance of injury.

However, if that’s your thing at shows, I am not judging at all, but I just know my own speed when I go to shows like that.

I know I’ve sung the praises of Ultra Q a lot, but I do mean it especially if you’re looking for new music in the post-punk genre, I cannot stress myself enough: go listen to Ultra Q. If you do get the opportunity to see them play live, you’ll enjoy their performances like I have and others that I’ve talked to at their shows.

Setlist from the show