When I see that The Blacklist Collective is sponsoring a show, I know that the show is going to be impressive. Louis Navas has this uncanny ability to find bands that sync perfectly with the headliner. This show was no exception, as he found a variety of bands of different genres that all had the crowd rocking along. This past Friday The Blacklist Collective promoted yet another killer show. Being that Nonstop to Cairo was the headliner, there was no chance I was missing the show. The band has been a big supporter of The After Hours Review since the very beginning. I’ve now seen Nonstop to Cairo three times and each time they impress me more and more.
When I arrived at Amityville Music Hall, Like Minded Criminals were taking the stage. Here were three guys on stage all wearing bandana’s over their face. Having never heard of them before, I was curious to see how they would perform. The band began with Black and White off their album, Drowning in Bed. Kevin Preller (vocals and guitar) had the opportunity to show the crowd what he was capable of with this intro song. The song begins with the slow strum of a guitar and Kevin’s powerful vocals. “Take your time, live every day like your last one. This life you lead you can watch it go by, it’s a fast one. Live and we die and we all wanna live black and white, oh we live and we die and we all wanna live…” Once the last word sang, the band immediately went into jam mode and showed off their hard rock nature. Looking around the music hall, there wasn’t a person who’s attention was not immediately turned to the stage when the band started rocking; very impressive for an opening band.
Like Minded Criminal’s didn’t let up after that opening song. They continued to throw down on stage and make a fan of myself, my friends that were with me and without a doubt, the rest of the crowd! They continued with two more songs from Drowning in Bed before playing Out of the Black (a Royal Blood cover). The band took this Royal Blood song and amplified it times 1000. It’s always cool when you hear a cover song and realize you like the cover version more than the original. I am a fan of the original song but I definitely enjoy Like Minded Criminal’s cover of the song that much more!
The band ended off with High and Dry followed by And I’m the Liar?!, my two personal favorite songs from the album. High and Dry starts off with a slow guitar riff before entering into a full jam session. The album version of this song absolutely shreds and so does their live version. The boys of Like Minded Criminals were able to replicate the sound of their album perfectly with each song they played. It always sucks to see a band that tries too hard to emulate the sound from their studio album. Like Minded Criminals didn’t have to try, they did it with ease. And I’m the Liar?!, the final song of the night was the perfect way to end their set. Possibly the hardest rock song on the album, the instrumentals and vocals of the song flooded the music hall and got everyone moving. There wasn’t a still body in the crowd.
Currently, Like Minded Criminals is looking for a permanent drummer and trying to tour as much as possible. They have a couple of shows coming up in March and small weekend tour set up for this coming April. They also plan to start recording new music in the near future. Check below for their tour dates!
Nonstop to Cairo tore down the house, as expected. The liveliness and animation that the band puts forth when they are performing on stage is something that every band should strive to possess. In the three times that I have seen Nonstop to Cairo in action, they have made each show a little unique. This time, the band performed Rooted from their 2012 self-titled EP. Rooted is the very first song I heard from the band. The song is what made me a fan and got me to purchase tickets to see them the very next night back in November. Needless to say, it was an unforgettable moment to see them perform the song live.
Something I love about Nonstop to Cairo are the jam sessions that they perform throughout their shows. They’re not one of those bands that performs 20+ minute jam sessions; they keep it short and simple and always have the crowd dying for more. Nonstop to Cairo played a lot of my favorites, such as Influenzska, Skip, July 8th and Not Allison. Each song that they performed had every single person in the crowd dancing and singing along. Even their slower songs were still able to captivate the crowd and keep every person in the crowd rocking. Nonstop to Cairo is a force to be reckoned with. How they haven’t hit mainstream success like bands such as Reel Big Fish and Streelight Manifesto is beyond me. It’s only a matter of time before they blow up!
To no surprise at all, Louis Navas promoted another mind-blowing show. Every band he had perform did an amazing job on stage. Each band won the crowd over from the start and had them jamming along to their music. I will continue to check out each show that Louis Navas promotes! Check out tour dates below for Nonstop to Cairo and Like Minded Criminals!
Like Minded Criminals
March 10th – Revolution Bar in Amityville, New York
March 31st – Venue TBA soon
April 6th- Gussy’s Bar in Astoria, New York
April 7th, Bar XIII in Wilmington, Delaware
April 8th – Venue TBA soon
Nonstop to Cairo
February 17th – Frozen Harbor Music Festival in Baltimore, Maryland
February 18th – Rooted Kava Lounge in Wilmington, North Carolina