November 19th marked a special day for several bands in the Long Island music scene. East Coast Collective hosted four piece alternative band Roderik’s hometown debut at the long standing Amityville Music Hall and the night was incredible. With tickets selling out days before the show, the venue was packed with immaculate energy from fans and artists alike.
I attended the show with little experience of what a live show was like for the bands on this bill. It so happened that most of the bands on this bill would be celebrating something inaugural, be it their first time playing since the pandemic, since forming a band, or both. Regardless of what the artists were celebrating, everyone stepped up to the stage with the intention of putting on a performance for the books, and they did exactly that.
Holly Turner Photography
Opening up the night was four-piece Premium Heart, easily one of the most avant-garde pop punk bands I’ve gotten to hear live. There was a sense of unpredictability about the band: one song brought your whippy bass lines likened to jam bands that had you grooving in your spot then minutes later seamlessly transitioning into heavier, hardcore tones present in a grungier music genre. If their performance was a Dungeons and Dragons game, the audience were simply characters navigating through a sea of instrumentals and music trials with Premium Heart as your DM throwing you curveball after curveball to keep you on your feet. They were easily an instant favorite for me and did an incredible job setting the tone for the rest of the night
John MC Media
I feel like I’m a person of really simple show tastes. If you start your set off with Simple Plan’s “What’s New Scooby Doo” then you’ve already been the highlight of the night in my book. No doubt that the audience at Amityville Music Hall had the same thought process: as soon as Without Really Trying belted those four words, they immediately brought everyone front and center to ready themselves jump around with them without really trying (*badum tss*). The five piece was incredibly fun; their original “Tell Me” immediately got stuck in everyone’s head with the catchy chorus. Following that was another one of their originals “Amusement Parks Really Go Downhill In Your Twenties” which truly felt like a rollercoaster with quick time changes and fast-paced instrumentals that had people jumping around. We even got to sing happy birthday to their bassist and throw down to their cover of “My Own Worst Enemy”! The ended off the night with an unreleased track that was just as fun and catchy as their previous songs and even featured a guest vocalist, Jake Cohen of Alumni. Without Really Trying gave us such a jovial and fun attitude with pop punk roots and I definitely can’t wait to see them live again!
Matt Flood
Next up was Quiet Like A Thief who had been celebrating their first live performance since forming the band in 2020. The instrumentals were grungy and raw, its vibrations ebbing and flowing throughout the entire space. The moment that most stood out to me was when they played their song “LAK”. Front person Alex Kouvaris mentioned, while the band members changed and tuned their instruments, that LAK were the initials of his father who passed away from Covid-19 last year. No matter what people’s stances were on the virus and the vaccine, Alex said, he wanted people to know that this death still happened and affected him deeply. Hearing the story behind “LAK” seemed to hit much deeper than before. The room felt heavy as every drum hit and vocal line rang through the crowd. It felt as if everyone’s personal story, be it about a loss from the virus or otherwise, rose into the air like steam from boiling water and created such a collective and emotional moment for everyone there. Quiet Like A Thief are masters at storytelling and commanding a room with their organic pop punk sound and absolutely can’t wait to see what they have in store for this year and the next!
Matt Flood
Card Reader was up next, who was celebrating their hometown debut that night. With no time to waste, the band came out kicking, screaming, and with punchy instrumentals. The crowd was ready as well, shouting back the vocal lines with as much energy as the band was giving out. Card Reader absolutely fit the aesthetic of a November night: the deep guitar lines felt like a roaring fire paired with front person Tom Petito’s emotional vocals that cut through like a pleasant autumn wind. You can tell that these songs had a lot of meaning to the band and that they put all of their love and care into them: every song had such incredible energy from beginning to end that kept the audience on their feet the whole set.
Matt Flood
The final act of the night was up next, the four-piece alternative band RODERIK. They will be celebrating their hometown debut that night, however it was also many of the band members’ first time performing at Amityville Music Hall for the first time in years. RODERIK have solidified themselves as a band that embeds a lot of story and magnetism behind their music, from gripping visuals to unfiltered stories behind the music, and this show was no different. As soon as the first guitar hit during their first song, “You’ll Never Know”, smoke shot up and engulfed the band transporting the audience into the world that RODERIK had been creating. The band guided the audience through this world through mesmerizing instrumentals and high-octane vocals. In between songs that they have released throughout the year, the band weaved in some new songs set to be released later this month and the audience loved every minute of it. The whole set felt like I was in an entirely different world altogether, which goes to show how well this band can really take you into their headspace and really feel the emotion and passion behind the music. All in all, the set was captivating and bewitching and I definitely can’t wait to see them live again!
The bands could not have picked a more immaculate night for this event and I know that everyone involved would agree with me. Congratulations to all of the bands that were celebrating milestones that night and I cannot wait to see what all of these bands have in store in the months to come! Missed out on this night? Be sure to follow the bands’ socials to keep up to date on upcoming news and events!