Champ is a five-piece, melodic metal core band straight out of Commack, NY! I went to a show on March 6th at Revolution Bar & Music Hall in Amityville, NY specifically to catch their set and I was blown away. If you have been following the blog from the beginning, it should be fairly obvious that my musical interests spread across a wide range of genres. Champ is by far the most “hardcore” band I have featured on the blog so far and I don’t think I could have chosen a better one to start with.
Champ is made up of Jay McCartney (vocals) Jj Hickey (guitar), Keith Ginex (guitar), Alex Blanc (bass) and Tyler Rowe (drums). In the short time Champ has been a band, they have made waves in the music scene. In 2014 they placed second in Headband for the Highway’s battle for the popular music festival, Mayhem Fest. They have performed for a sold out studio at Webster Hall and day one of a two day Golden Hearts Festival at Gramercy Theater in the summer of 2017. Champ recorded their new album, Trustless, with a producer on the billboard charts and released the album in 2017. The album features Trevor Tatro of the popular Post Hardcore band, Outline in Color. They have played with bands such as Stray from the Path, Outline in Color and I Set My Friends on Fire. With all of these impressive accolades, it is no surprise that Champ put on such a memorable show the other night!
Champ came out swinging with their intro song and didn’t let up the rest of their set. From the minute they started playing, the entire band moved around the stage with so much energy it was impossible not to rock along with them. An audience will only be as animated and energized as the band that’s performing is and Champ made sure they didn’t lose the crowd. As the band continued to play their set, their stage presence only got stronger. Their songs were filled with amazing vocals and sick breakdowns that had myself and the rest of the crowd head banging along with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZWHU5GFQz0
Something I took note of during the show was the lighting on stage and the fog that was being pumped into the venue. Typically during small venue shows such as this, the lighting is the last thing I notice. It usually doesn’t have much of an impact on the performance like it may have during shows that take place in big venues and stadiums (at least in my opinion). The light show that was going on while Champ was playing was electric. The dimly lit stage, dark colored lighting that illuminated the band and the fog that began to form around them made their performance that more memorable. Watching all five members go nuts on stage with the lighting and fog highlighted the bands insane amount of energy perfectly. It was as if the band was playing for thousands of people; exactly how every band should perform during every show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZM6554MRG0
Champ ended their set with Called Comfort, the final song on their new album, Trustless. Prior to the song starting, Jay McCartney spoke a little about the song. He told the crowd that it is an emotional song and called the crowd up to come closer to the stage and share the experience with the band. Every single person in the crowd walked right up to the stage! McCartney was not kidding when he said it was an emotional song as it is extremely evident in the lyrics. “We age and unravel. The work we put in comes undone. Love can only do so much when it’s just a memory. And we’re left in silence to do its justice. It’s only in endings that we find the beauty in life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uqcx2pqIsw
We were lucky enough to hear some new songs by Champ and they are bangers. The guitar chords on these songs reminded me of those that you would hear on a Parkway Drive album and I loved it! Upon talking with some of the members of the band, I learned that Champ is currently writing their new album and will be recorded shortly. After seeing them perform live and picking up their album, I can say with certainty that their new album will be nothing short of mind-blowing! Make sure to listen to Champ’s album Trustless and keep an eye out for their new music!