Chicken With A Side Of Mosh: Middletown Band Plays Fast-Food Restaurant (VIDEO)

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Bands that are starting out often struggle to find venues to perform. So it's not uncommon for new groups to play at family parties, open mic nights and the like.

A local heavy metal band, however, found itself a far more unusual venue: a fast-food restaurant. Cluck-U in Toms River, specifically.

The band Drawn Out, which hails from Middletown and describes itself as a hardcore band, performed live for more than 20 minutes at the restaurant on Lakehurst Road recently. People passing the fast-food restaurant after closing on Dec. 15 might have thought there was a fight going on inside, as the video of the Middletown band's performance shows attendees "moshing" in front of the performing band.

(For you older folks reading this, moshing is where participants push or slam into each other during a live music show.)

Interestingly, the venue — which the band said was arranged by a friend in another band who works for the restaurant — was seen as a strange choice even among the media that cover the metal scene.

"For reasons that confound me, Middletown, NJ hardcore act Drawn Out (and several other bands) recently played a show at a Cluck-U Chicken location in New Jersey," the site Lambgoat wrote. "At 10:30pm, honey-hickory wings were being served. An hour later, spin kicks were the plat du jour."

The site MetalInjection.net included Cluck-U's Yelp rating in a story headlined, "A Hardcore Band Played Cluck-U Chicken In New Jersey, Seriously."

And the site MetalSucks.net went so far as to say the performance at the chicken restaurant ensured New Jersey would retain the title of "trashiest state in the union." A tad harsh, perhaps.

Video of the band's performance was posted on YouTube; it's shared below for those of you whose curiosity is getting the better of you. Be forewarned, it is full of profanity.

Photo: screengrab from the video of the band's performance