Marlie Langer | Head Editor
September 28, 2025
We’ve all heard about the crazy parties with loud kids and even louder bands, and we all know what happens next. For smaller bands–typically run by high schoolers or college kids–they tend to have shows at a house or in a neighborhood because sometimes that’s all they can get. House shows are easy to get to and typically free–perfect for the local teenagers and an even more perfect opportunity for the band to get some exposure without the worry of needing to sell a certain amount of tickets or making a certain amount of money for a venue. Here’s the catch: not everyone likes the noise. Neighbors can easily get sick of the loud music and endless cars piling up on their streets, resulting in them calling the cops and shutting the show down. Of course, it begs the question, what about the kids? What’s wrong with a little fun and some noise on a Saturday night?
Senior at San Clemente High School Caylee Perez attended a house show of the local band Surf Strands, 2025 SCHS Battle of the Bands winners that we all know and love, featuring the bands Pocket Change, Kill-switch, and Figure It Out. She believes that bands “shouldn’t be shut down” if it’s within a certain time. For example, if a band finishes playing before quiet time in a neighborhood. Junior and avid local band supporter Maddie Montejano agreed with Perez, believing that the bands should not get shut down, but added on that they should “talk to neighbors before” to make sure they are okay with the noise and “attempt to have all the bands play before 10 p.m.” (quiet time for most neighborhoods) in order to mitigate the chances of getting shut down.
Getting shut down is an issue many small bands are bound to face when playing in a neighborhood. Some teenagers might find the whole ordeal entertaining–including the band! Sometimes, getting shut down even boosts publicity for the band as teenagers tend to gossip about instances where the cops get called.
Overall, lots of teenagers believe that shutting down a show on a Friday or Saturday night before the legal quiet time is not fair to the band or to the kids just trying to have a good time during their time off from school.
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