This past weekend, I got the chance to catch one of the best lineups I ever have seen at a show in Amityville, NY. We Were Sharks, Boys of Fall and Sink the Ship began their US tour this past Friday (2/2). On Saturday (2/3), these bands played at Revolution Bar & Music Hall with local support from Older than Oceans, Minus The Love and Scared20.
The show was a matinee, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Would there be a big crowd or would most people still be lying in bed hungover from Friday night and not make it to the show? To my surprise, the show drew a decent sized crowd. Louis Navas of The Blacklist Collective (books & promotes shows on Long Island) organized the show to allow the local acts to support the headliners and he couldn’t have chosen three better bands to take on the opening roles.
Scared20 was the first band to jump on stage. Being that it was a matinee show, they began their set sometime between 1:00 – 1:30 in the afternoon. I was curious to see what their stage presence would be like for such an early show. Scared20 didn’t seemed bothered by the early start time; they immediately made their presence known the second they stepped on the stage. During the first song of their set, the guys got the crowd involved by having everyone clap along. While this may not seem like much, it isn’t easy to hype up a crowd in the early afternoon. Scared20 did exactly what they came to do, get the crowd going for the following bands and gain some exposure for their band while doing so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnpR_R0ojLc
Scared20 was followed by Minus The Love, a rock band from Flushing, Queens. Minus The Love picked up right where Scared20 left off, making sure the crowd maintained the high level of energy for the following bands. Something notable about their set was the amount of enthusiasm each member of the band had. Manny Quiroga (vocals) made sure the crowd didn’t die down as he jumped around the stage the entire set, continuously calling for the crowd to “go nuts” while doing so himself. The entire band gave 100% their entire set. There wasn’t a time where anyone was standing still. Their pure enjoyment of being on the stage was clearly evident and transferred to the crowd as the audience danced along with the band. Minus The Love’s punk rock set, mixed in with hardcore vocals and pretty sweet breakdowns made me a fan! I’m looking forward to seeing what the band has in store for us with their new EP they’re working on!
Sink the Ship, one of the headliners of the US tour, played next and rocked the house. Being the most hardcore out of the six bands on the bill, Sink the Ship had more of a challenge than the other bands; winning over a crowd that was there for a predominately punk rock show. The band came out swinging with a set of hardcore songs. Colton Ulery (vocals) and the rest of the band had a lot of energy, moving around the whole time and getting up close with the crowd. Sink the Ship had some technical difficulties in the beginning of the set, as it seemed like there were some issues with Colton’s mic. Luckily, that didn’t stop them from putting on a killer show. Between the awesome guitar riffs, drumming, vocals and nasty breakdowns, Sink the Ship blew me away. After their set, I got the chance to speak to the girl at their merchandise table. She informed me that we were lucky, as the band played all new songs from their upcoming album. After learning that, I can’t wait to hear the full track list of the album!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rrx7RgFRIE
Older than Oceans (a local favorite) played next. The second they took the stage the entire bar area cleared. Everyone rushed toward the stage to see the action up close; so naturally I had to as well. I was not disappointed as the entire set was hit after hit. Throughout the show, the crowd was active and dancing around, but it wasn’t until Older than Oceans took the stage that the pits began forming in the crowd. Older than Oceans played their new EP, Everything I Ever Told You and sounded amazing. They made sure the crowd was involved, having them sing along to each song. It was great to see how many people knew every word to every song on their new EP; an obvious sign as to just how good these guys are. The band finished with Fault Lines and Buildups & Breakdowns, two songs off the new EP. The crowd sang and rocked along with the band throughout the two songs, hoping it would never end. Older than Oceans walked off the stage to an encore roar of “one more song!”
Boys of Fall followed Older than Oceans, and they absolutely exceeded my expectations. This blog was started to help promote relatively unknown bands/artists. While Boys of Fall doesn’t have main stream notoriety (yet), they are a well known band. Because of this, I did not go into the show with the expectation of writing about them or the closing band, We Were Sharks. To my surprise, Boys of Fall captivated my attention with their catchy lyrics, upbeat instrumentals and hardcore undertones. It is obvious that the band has gained a good following, as die hard fans were right up front singing their hearts out with Michael Martenson (vocals). It was obvious that the band fed off the energy of the crowd, as they were all over the stage. The band seemed to be in unison; if one jumped they all jumped, if one sang, they all sang. They were not five individual musicians on the stage; they were a family. Each member of the band made it a point to get close to the crowd, to share the experience with their fans. All I can say is this is definitely not the last time I’ll be watching a live Boys of Fall show!
We Were Sharks was the closing band, and they made sure they tore down the house. The instant the band started playing, the crowd erupted. Everyone out there was dancing away and singing along to every single word of every song. When the band began to play Beyond Repair, the crowd echoed each word. “Let me get this straight, we both want to throw stones, but we’re living in a cheap glass house, and every windows broke!” With the completion of that line, the crowd went crazy and the pit was opened. From then on, the crowd didn’t stop and the band continued giving them more and more. We Were Sharks finished their set with Bridge Burner off of their 2015 album, Not a Chance. As expected, they gave it everything they had and absolutely killed it. After their set, the band was met with “one more song” from everyone in the crowd! They played an unexpected encore song, Drop the Act, off of their new album that is in the works!
Every band that played at this show rocked! They put all of their energy into their set, proving why they all deserved to be there. Make sure to check out each individual band and check back to the blog for future releases!