On Thursday, April 26th, I saw Scared20 and The Great Heights Band absolutely kill it at Amityville Music Hall. Scared20 was a local supporting band for The Great Heights Band while they were on their US tour. Both of these bands put all they had into their sets and had the place going crazy. With a strong stage presence, a following that is getting bigger each day, and the dedication these guys put into their music, it’s only a matter of time before both Scared20 and The Great Heights Band blow up!
I don’t think The Great Heights Band could have had a better band to go on before them and amp up the crowd; Scared20 was insane! It is so important for opening bands to be able to get a crowd moving and keep them engaged for the headlining bands. In all the shows that I have been to since starting this blog, Scared20 put on the best opening performance I’ve seen! Their unmatchable energy and stage presence was spectacular. Andrew Arifakis (vocals/guitar), Danny Guerriero (bass) and Justin Daly (drums) have mastered the art of putting on a memorable show that is surely helping them gain new fans every time they step foot on a stage.
I first learned of Scared20 when I saw them open up for Boys of Fall and We Were Sharks back in February. Their set consisted of some kick ass cover songs, but not much original material. Nonetheless, the band came ready to play with everything they had and left a lasting impression! This most recent show blows that performance right out of the water! Scared20 showed up with original music, prepared to show everyone just how kick ass they are!
The band started their set with R U F F, the first track on their 2018 EP, “More Punk Than Pop”. I love that this was their first song of the night because it captures everything that Scared20 is. The song immediately hits you with a classic Pop Punk style guitar riff that fans of the genre love so much. Their sound and style is similar to that of bands like Blink182, Green Day and New Found Glory, and I fucking love it! The Pop Punk scene is in need of bands with the sound, style, and dedication that Scared20 has! Something that has to be discussed is the amount of energy this three piece band had. Watching them jump and dance around the stage, play their music with everything they have and interacting with the crowd all at the same time was awe-inspiring. These three guys have more energy than my class of 30 5th graders!
Another thing that I must mention is the massive following that Scared20 had that night. It always sucks to see a band as good as they are play their hearts out to a crowd of 10 people. Fortunately, this was not the case for Scared20! The amount of people that piled in to watch them perform was amazing. I don’t think I’ve seen a small band have as much genuine support as they did. Every person that was there to see them knew every word to each song and sang it at the top of their lungs; these people were true fans of the band. Scared20 performed one cover song, My Friends Over You by New Found Glory, and it was an unforgettable moment. This is when the band interacted with the crowd the most, allowing fans to jump on stage and sing with them. People were crowd surfing and raging in the pit in front of the stage having the time of their lives. If you haven’t gotten the chance to catch a Scared20 show, I suggest you do as soon as possible; you won’t regret it! Make sure to look out this week for a review of their new EP “More Punk Than Pop”!
Scared20 set the crowd into a frenzy, the perfect atmosphere for The Great Heights Band to throw it down! I was given the opportunity to write a review of TGHB’s new album, “Rad-Pop.” before the release a few weeks prior to the show. After listening to this masterpiece of an album, I was eager to catch these guys in action. I had extremely high expectations for their performance and they didn’t let me down! The Great Heights Band knows how to put on a show and keep a crowd engaged through their entire set.
The Great Heights Band started their set with Better Things off of “Rad-Pop.” This was a great choice to begin with due to the fact that its a crowd pleaser. The melodic chorus on this song gets everyone singing along and keeps their feet moving! “And everybody’s telling me that I’m in over my head, the devils on my shoulder saying ‘you can sleep when your dead’, cause I’ve got better things to do, then waste my nights dreaming of you, waste my nights dreaming of you.” Just like everyone else, I was right there in the crowd singing along with the band! TGHB followed up with Quicksand, the most recent single off of the new album. I love this song because it is so different than the rest of the songs on the album. The electronic beats paired with the guitar and drumming work so perfectly. The song gives off a huge Hellogoodbye vibe. Just like songs by Hellogoodbye, Quicksand has that something special that makes it impossible to not move your body to the sound of the music.
The Great Heights Band continued their set with all songs from “Rad-Pop.” and two songs from their 2015 album, “Songs in Eastern Standard Timing”. Even though I am obsessed with their new album, it was very cool to hear some old songs of theirs; Coming Around and Portland. TGHB continued their set with What’s Real!, Wished I Was Dead, and Free, all off their new album. Each song on the album is different from the rest, and What’s Real! is no exception. The vocals on the verses are dark and low and the chorus is upbeat and catchy, very similar to songs from Nirvana. The fast paced drumming on the chorus is infectious and makes you want to jump around and lose control! Wished I Was Dead is one of my top songs from “Rad-Pop.” The song gives off a huge early days of Good Charlotte vibe and brings so much nostalgia! I can’t wait until TGHB are selling out shows and a huge crowd is jumping around and going insane to this classic Pop Punk style song!
The Great Heights Band played Free later on and ended their set with Straight to Hell, two amazing songs. I love Free because it touches on real subjects that aren’t typically brought up in the music scene, especially in this genre of music; “larger topics such as environmental activism and political uncertainty.” People always underestimate the power that a song can have. Every time someone new listens to this song, environmental activism is immediately brought into their mind. If it wasn’t for this song, they may have never even thought about it. “And yeah it’s kinda strange, we humans treat the earth this way.” These lyrics couldn’t be truer! I love that The Great Heights Band is able to use their music for activism, as well as to provide entertainment. The set finished with Straight to Hell, the first track on “Rad-Pop.” The intro song and closing song for the show were perfect choices. Just like Better Things, Straight to Hell demonstrates the band’s roots of Pop and Punk and is a fan favorite. It gives off those traditional sounds that people love so much and can’t help but enjoy! “This worlds gone straight to hell, and I don’t care at all, if we just keep things real, this worlds gone straight to hell, and I don’t care at all, if we just keep things real.” With the current state that our world is in, it’s safe to say that it has “gone straight to hell.”
Both Scared20 and The Great Heights Band are amazing bands. Their energy, dedication and true love for the music scene is evident in their recordings as well as the action packed performances they put on. Make sure you get the chance to catch a live show from both of these kick ass bands; you won’t regret it! Follow the blog’s Spotify playlist, After Hours Review, to hear music from Scared20 and The Great Heights Band!