W♥M

Ken Carson at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2024-08-04)

KEN CARSON SETLIST   Hardcore Lose It It's Over Freestyle 3 leather jacket i need u Succubus Green Room mewtwo Vampire Hour Rockstar Lifestyle Overtime Nightcore toxic Me N My Kup Rock N Roll Yale ss Jennifer's Body overseas Fighting My Demons KEN CARSON TOUR DATES Aug. 6 Chicago, IL The Salt Shed Aug. 7 Detroit, MI Masonic Temple Theatre Aug. 8 Columbus, OH KEMBA Live! Aug. 10 Cleveland, OH Agora Theater & Ballroom Aug. 12 Toronto, ON HISTORY Aug. 13 Toronto, ON HISTORY Aug. 14 Montreal, QC MTELUS Aug. 16 Boston, MA Roadrunner Aug. 17 Boston, MA Roadrunner Aug. 18 Washington, DC The Anthem Aug. 20 New York, NY Terminal 5 Aug. 21 New York, NY Terminal 5 Aug. 22 New York, NY Terminal 5 Aug. 24 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore Aug. 26 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy Aug. 27 Atlanta, GA Coca-Cola Roxy Aug. 29 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Aug. 30 Raleigh, NC The Ritz Sep. 14 Stretford, UK O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester Sep. 15 Stretford, UK O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester Sep. 16 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy Birmingham Sep. 17 London, UK OVO Arena Wembley Sep. 20 Berlin, Germany Columbiahalle Sep. 22 Paris, France Élysée Montmartre Sep. 23 Paris, France Bataclan Sep. 24 Offenbach Am Main, Germany Stadthalle Offenbach Sep. 25 Tilburg, Netherlands Poppodium 013 Sep. 27 Brussels, Belgium La Madeleine Sep. 29 Milan, Italy Fabrique Sep. 30 Zürich, Switzerland Komplex457 Oct. 1 München, Germany Theaterfabrik Oct. 3 Köln, Germany Palladium Oct. 5 Prague, Czechia Garbe Oct. 12 North Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues Oct. 13 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Oct. 14 Norfolk, VA The NorVa Oct. 16 Richmond, VA The National Oct. 17 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live! Oct. 20 Wallingford, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre Oct. 21 Montclair, NJ The Wellmont Theater Oct. 22 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE Oct. 24 Huntington, NY The Paramount Oct. 25 Buffalo, NY Buffalo RiverWorks Oct. 26 Providence, RI The Strand Ballroom & Theatre Oct. 29 Cincinnati, OH The Andrew J Brady Music Center Oct. 30 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Oct. 31 Milwaukee, WI The Rave / Eagles Club Nov. 1 Omaha, NE Steelhouse Nov. 3 Chesterfield, MO The Factory Nov. 4 Nashville, TN Skydeck Nov. 5 Birmingham, AL Iron City Bham Nov. 6 Louisville, KY Old Forester's Paristown Hall Nov. 8 Oklahoma City, OK The Criterion Nov. 9 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall Nov. 11 San Antonio, TX Aztec Theater Nov. 13 Albuquerque, NM Revel Nov. 14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre Nov. 16 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas Nov. 17 Riverside, CA Municipal Auditorium Nov. 19 San Jose, CA San Jose Civic Nov. 21 Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium Read More Ken Carson Sold Out The rising Atlanta rapper is out on his 2024 Chaos World Tour, in support of his new album, A Great Chaos, which came out last October, and new track “Overseas.”

His name might seem ordinary, but everything else is the complete opposite--

Rising Atlanta rapper Ken Carson just played a very sold-out show in Kansas City at the Uptown Theater in a stop on his long-awaited Chaos World Tour.

===

The “chaos” began with 2hollis (aka Hollis Frazier Herndon), a young LA-based Chicago-raised industrial hyperpop / cloud rap singer and producer in support of third full-length, which was digitally released in June with singles, “Light” and Crush”.

He first gained attention for his 2022 album “White Tiger” and he comes from a musical pedigree- a musician father (who was the drummer in Tortoise) and a mother who founded a company that reps J Cole and The Wkend, among numerous other A-listers, and also co-owns a record label with Skrillex.

His music is a high-speed release of pent-up emotions that is both relatable and mesmerizing in its live delivery that invites you in to exhale and explode at the same time.

===

Playboi Carti's own boutique record label, Opium has become more of a powerful influence both in the ATL and throughout the genre itself, with Ken Carson being its true breakout star.

Last year, Carson released his critically acclaimed third album, A Great Chaos. The album exceeded expectations, debuting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and continued the impact he had been building since previous album, X, in 2022.

Earlier this year, he announced a collaboration with Xbox, he made his debut performance at Coachella and joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their "Unlimited Love" tour. By popular demand, a deluxe version of the new album (More Chaos) was released last month, featuring seven new tracks, including new single, “overseas”.

To know how highly anticipated this show was, one need only drive past the venue several hours before door time as the entrance line had already stretched for blocks by mid-afternoon.

The sense of shared community that his audience garners, was already happening several hours before doors opening and showtime.

Live, the scene lived up to its name The Chaos Tour with a mosh pit formed, and jumping cell lights on and filming by so many phones held high as Carson performed from atop and around a large scaffold platform as numerous spotlights darted in every direction towards the audience.

The sold-out crowd’s sweat and intense humidity created a thickening foggy haze inside the venue, aided by the CO2 smoke cannons that shot from both sides of the stage.

 

(Reporting and Photos by Jason Domingues / Click on image to enlarge and see in full)

 

 

 

 

KEN CARSON at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2024-08-04)

KEN CARSON at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2024-08-04)

KEN CARSON at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2024-08-04)

2hollis at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2024-08-04)

JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Northlane w Invent Animate, Thornhill, Windwaker at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

NORTHLANE SETLIST   Carbonized Intuition Miasma 4D Talking Heads Kraft Bloodline Dante Echo Chamber Clarity Worldeater / Dispossession / Jinn Solar (Remix) Mirror’s Edge Afterimage Clockwork Nova   Encore: Citizen INVENT ANIMATE SETLIST Sleepless Deathbed Shade Astray False Meridian How We Used To Say Goodbye Purity Weeps Heavener Without a Whisper Immolation of Night   THORNHILL SETLIST   Views From the Sun Coven Obsession Raw Casanova Where We Go When We Die   WINDWAKER SETLIST   Get Out Dopamine Freestyle Fractured State of Mind Superstitious Fantasy The Wall Break the Rules SIRENS   NORTHLANE TOUR DATES   23 JULY Denver, CO Summit Music Hall 24 JULY Salt Lake City, UT The Complex 26 JULY Anaheim, CA House of Blues 27 JULY Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades 12 SEPTEMBER Vienna, Austria Simm City Festsaal  13 SEPTEMBER Frankfurt, Germany Batschkapp 14 SEPTEMBER Paris, France Le Trabendo 16 SEPTEMBER Manchester, UK O2 Ritz 17 SEPTEMBER Glasgow, UK SWG3 20 SEPTEMBER Norwich, UK Epic Studios 21 SEPTEMBER London, UK Electric Ballroom 22 SEPTEMBER Bristol, UK SWX 24 SEPTEMBER Antwerp, Belgium TRIX 25 SEPTEMBER Esch Sur Alzette, Luxembourg ROCKHAL 26 SEPTEMBER Tilburg, NL 013 27 SEPTEMBER Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefährlich 28 SEPTEMBER Berlin, Germany Columbia Theater 30 SEPTEMBER Warsaw, Poland Proxima 1 OCTOBER Prague, Czech Republic MeetFactory 2 OCTOBER Budapest, Hungary Dürer Kert 4 OCTOBER Cologne, Germany Euroblast Festival 5 OCTOBER Munich, Germany STROM 6 OCTOBER Solothurn, Switzerland Kulturfabrik Kofmehl 9 NOVEMBER Hart's Mill, Port Adelaide, SA, Australia 23 NOVEMBER Tokyo, Japan Club Seata 24 NOVEMBER Osaka, Japan Unknown 25 NOVEMBER Nagoya, Japan 3 Star Imaike Read More Northlane Northlane: Mirror's Edge North American Tour is coming to the Varsity Theater. The show is headlined by Australia’s Northlane (who previously opened for Fit for a King in Feb 2023) , and they’re bringing Invent, Animate, Thornhill, and Windwaker.

The Mirror's Edge revealed not one, but four heavy hardcore bands, with no less than three coming all way from down under--

Australian heavyweights Northlane headed up this four-band extravaganza, in support of their new EP, The Mirror’s Edge and the tour touched down in the heart of Lawrence KS at the Granada Theater.

The aural devastation got started with Melbourne, Victoriaband Windwaker, whose second full-length, Hyperviolence came out earlier this month (via Fearless/Cooking Vinyl) and is reborn in a sense, after their original singer left two years ago, with duties now fulfilled by previous guitarist and background vocalist, Liam Guinane.

We like that the band took their name from the Legend of Zelda game of the same name, and features self-described “sickly sweet pop hooks, bouncing hip hop moments and slick riffage.”

2023 single, “Sirens” has been their highest performing track to date, cracking over 1.5 million Spotify streams in the first and the band successfully toured Australia with Caskets (UK) and sold out nearly every date. Previous tour mates have included Beartooth, I Prevail, Motionless In White, and Enter Shikari (UK),so the band is making themselves known both back home and on these shores.

===

The name Thornhill sounds elegant, calming, and regal, but the alternative prog metalcore band also from Melbourne can turn things up in an instant. The ARIA-nominated band released a single, “Obsession” in February, following “Viper Room” from last fall, hopefully signaling work is being completed on what would be their third full-length, after 2022’s Heroine. A recent Live on Tour! record (via UNFD Music) was also released last month

The music is driving but strives for a cinematic edge, via band leaders Jacob Charlton (vocals/lyrics) and Ethan McCann (guitar/production) and is not afraid to stretch traditional boundaries of the genre. The band has musically grown since 2019 debut album The Dark Pool, now sounding more expansive and it will be worth a listen to see how they continue to grow.

====

Next up was the lone American act on the bill, (perhaps not coincidentally also on UNFD Music) Texas prog metalcore band, Invent Animate, in support of new single, “How We Used to Say Goodbye” from an expanded and definitive edition of their fourth full-length, Heavener, initially released last March.

The band comprised of vocalist Marcus Vik, bassist Caleb Sherradan, writing member Trey Celaya, drummer Brody Taylor Smith and guitarist Keaton Goldwire is not afraid to bare their own pain and tragedy to create a musically safe and familiar place for listeners to process, which in turn, has flowered into a very loyal and growing fanbase.

“Life is weird, life is hard – but we’ve come to understand how important it is as artists to be there with our listener, to be vulnerable ourselves so they might be able to say, ‘thank you, you guys helped me articulate this’ or, ‘you guys helped me walk through this journey’ because of what we’ve created.”, bassist Sherradan has said about the band’s music.

In recent years, they’ve toured with the likes of Silent Planet, ERRA, Like Moths To Flames, and Void Of Vision (and with Alpha Wolf, The Devil Wears Prada, and then The Plot in You later this fall) their blend of ambient metalcore, djent and prog, is making a singular impact of its own.

====

Sydney progressive aggressors Northlane would close the evening, the band as mentioned out in support of their new Mirror’s Edge EP and latest melodic single, “Afterimage” (featuring Irish singer Ian Kenny) which was performed late in their set, with guest live vocals complimentary of Thornhill’s Charlton.

Previous single, "Miasma" with guest assist from Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall also made into the setlist, played early on.

The band have released six acclaimed albums, including ARIA Chart #1 records Obsidian (2022) and Node (2015), alongside Singularity (2013), Mesmer (2017) and Alien (2019) which all debuted at #3. the band has also won three consecutive Aussie ARIA Awards for Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album, as well as two AIR Awards for Best Independent Heavy Album.

The band had also recently reconnected with longtime collaborator / producer Will Putney, who was instrumental in producing those mid-decade enduring releases, including Singularity and Node, so anticipation is high to return to that energy on any upcoming new music.

As for the performance, it was the perfect soundtrack to foment a controlled chaos as the venue’s floor shook, bodies were tossed above everyone’s shoulders (in the friendliest possible way), heads bobbed and hands were raised, and pent-up aggression released- in other words, an ideal metalcore night.

Northlane wraps the North American leg of their Mirror’s Edge Tour at the end of this week in California, but there’s plenty of time for our European and Japanese readers to catch the band in their area, coming this fall.

(All Photos by Jason Domingues / Click on image to enlarge and see in full)

NORTHLANE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

NORTHLANE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

INVENT ANIMATE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

THORNHILL at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

WINDWAKER at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-07-21)

JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

ERRA w/ Make Them Suffer, Void of Vision, Novelists at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23)

(ERRA at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS  2024-05-23)) ERRA SETLIST Cure Gungrave Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven Luminesce Slow Sour Bleed Eye of God Scorpion Hymn Glimpse White Noise Blue Reverie Pale Iris Dementia Snowblood Encore: Skyline MAKE THEM SUFFER SETLIST Ghost of Me Bones Hollowed Heart Ether Epitaph Soul Decay Erase Me Doomswitch   VOID OF VISION SETLIST EMPTY THE LONELY PEOPLE HELL HELL HELL Year of the Rat Ghost in the Machine VAMPYR ALTAR INTO THE DARK   NOVELISTS SETLIST Lost Cause Terrorist Prisoner Mourning the Dawn Smoke Signals Turn It Up (Keyboard Warriors Social Club)   ERRA TOUR DATES MAY. 24 MINNEAPOLIS, MN VARSITY THEATER MAY. 25 ST. LOUIS, MO RED FLAG MAY. 26 CHICAGO, IL HOUSE OF BLUES CHICAGO MAY. 28 DETROIT, MI SAINT ANDREW'S HALL MAY. 29 TORONTO, ON DANFORTH MUSIC HALL MAY. 31 MONTRÉAL, QC BEANFIELD THEATRE JUN. 1 BOSTON, MA PARADISE ROCK CLUB JUN. 2 NEW YORK, NY IRVING PLAZA JUN. 14 - 16 DERBY, UK DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL JUN. 17 DUBLIN 1, IRELAND ACADEMY PLAZA HOTEL JUN. 18 BELFAST, UK LIMELIGHT JUN. 20 - 23 DESSEL, BELGIUM GRASPOP METAL MEETING JUN. 21 KARLSRUHE, GERMANY SUBSTAGE JUN. 22 LUZERN, SWITZERLAND SEDEL JUN. 24 VILLEURBANNE, FRANCE TRANSBORDEUR JUN. 25 STRASBOURG, FRANCE LA LAITERIE JUN. 27 KVASNÁ VODA, SLOVAKIA TOPFEST JUN. 28 BAD HINDELANG, M, GERMANY VAINSTREAM JUN. 29 YSSELSTEYN, NL JUL. 1 POZNAŃ, POLAND TAMA JUL. 2 GDYNIA, POLAND PODWÓRKO ART JUL. 4 VELKÉ MEZIŘÍČÍ, CZECHIA FAJTFEST JUL. 5 BERLIN, GERMANY HOLE44 JUL. 6 DRESDEN, GERMANY ELBUFER PARKWAVES JUL. 21 MANSFIELD, OH INKCARCERATION FESTIVAL   READ MORE ERRA I've seen Erra multiple times and have never been disappointed but last night was the best time I had seen them thus far. Maybe it was the energy in the room or maybe it's that they …

The symptoms were common and overwhelming – pent up emotions, a need to release physically and emotionally, and the urge to take in an evening of live progressive metalcore – and there was only one “Cure”--

Veteran Birmingham, AL band ERRA is out on their “Cure North America Tour” in support of their newest and sixth studio album of the same name, and brought a full all-ages evening of headbanging, pit-swirling, stage diving, and weeknight moshing, to downtown Lawrence at the Granada Theater.

===

The evening began with a short but potent set from Paris-based prog metalcore group, Novelists, in support of their 2022 full-length, Déjà Vu and more recent single, “Mourning the Dawn” from last year. The French band began over a decade ago, started in 2013 by brothers Amael and Florestan Durand and recently welcomed in the band’s third lead vocalist in its history, Camille Contreras.

Yes, the band sings in English, and amongst the hard-hitting and complicated chord changes, Contreras sings in a higher key than her predecessors and a dark but elegant voice, but still manages to make the older songs her own. The band is recommended for fans of Amy Lee and similar, though Contreras can still rage and effortlessly dispel of the clean vocals, when the song demands it.

===

Next up was a pure metalcore band from the other side of the world, Melbourne Australia-based Void of Vision, out in support of last year’s Chronicles, a compilation of their three previous EPs. The band has also been in existence since 2013, with a straight-ahead aggressive sound, tailor-made as a soundtrack for mosh pits and crowd-surfing.

Newer songs like last year’s “Into the Dark” which closed their set, fit seamlessly into the band’s catalog, alongside older favorites like “Year of the Rat” and the nu-metal-tinged “Ghost in the Machine” from 2017.

===

Something hardcore must be in the water from Australia, because next up was Perth metalcore band Make Them Suffer, formed back in 2008 and out in support of recent singles, “Ghost of Me” and “Epitaph”, ahead of an expected new album. It will be their first for SharpTone Records since signing with them last year, and a follow-up to 2020’s “How to Survive a Funeral” which was nominated for a down under Indie Music Award.

The music is unabashedly in-your-face at a pace that takes no prisoners, but a subtle difference for them is the male/female vocal play between vocalist Sean Hermanis and memorizing, multi-talented co-vocalist/keyboard player Alex Reade (yes, she even straps on a keytar at some point) which made for some interesting arrangements between the clean and aggro vocals of both.

===

As for the fans’ symptoms of clearly still needing to vent loose and rage, the only “Cure” was Alabama progressive metalcore band ERRA (stylized in all caps) out with maybe their most fully formed full-length album to date, “Cure”, released via UNFD on April 5^th. When you name your band after Akkadian god of war and plague when first starting out in 2009, you know there’s no messing around, and the Birmingham quintet (who recently added second guitarist Clint Tustin) delivered with a fourteen-song strong headlining set, that opened with the title track from the new record.

Both ERRA and Make Them Suffer seem to have a tech edge to their sound (helping define this current prog metalcore movement) and the aggro vocals of J.T Cavey clearly dominate (who was hot out of the gate, screaming, “Lost in the maze, longing for a wish or a cure, a failsafe!” on the new “Cure”) but are somewhat balanced by the melodic vocals of guitarist Jesse Cash.

Guitarists Tustin and Cash not only made for a bigger and more impactful sound on the five tracks played from the new album (and when compared to when we last saw them live in 2016), but the older favorites seemed to have an added punch as well, for a setlist mix that all the fans seemed to enjoy.

Fans reacted well to the new songs, especially lead single, “Slow Sour Bleed” which leans in a Reznor-like industrial direction, but of course, responded loudest to their older and more familiar classics, like “White Noise” from 2011’s “Impulse” album, and the complicated and immersive lyrics of 2013’s “Dementia”.

Even the atmospheric lighting added to the mood of these progressive songs, whether inviting one into the deeper abyss of their songs or flashing more rapidly to enhance the physicality of giving into the moment, with arms and legs flailing.

The set would end with a single-song encore, “Skyline” from 2016’s “Drift” a song that lyrically reflects on inner loneliness, despite being surrounded by all the sensations of a busy city. Though when played live, the song becomes a transformative and unifying piece that invites the unleashing of collective emotions, one last time for the evening.

Now in their second decade as a band and helping spearhead the current, growing and influential progressive metalcore movement; this really does seem like turning the page and entering a new era...err, chapter for ERRA. Now as legit headliners, you should catch them while you can in these relatively small theaters, before they blow up even bigger.

All Photos by JASON DOMINGUES

(Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

ERRA at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23) by Jason Domingues

ERRA at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23) by Jason Domingues

MAKE THEM SUFFER at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23) by Jason Domingues
VOID OF VISION at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23) by Jason Domingues
NOVELISTS at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-23) by Jason Domingues

JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Knocked Loose w/ Show Me the Body, Loathe, Speed at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03)

Knocked Loose -Granada Theater, Lawrence KS  2024-05-03)) KNOCKED LOOSE SETLIST Blinding Faith Mistakes Like Fractures God Knows Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory Don't Reach for Me Denied by Fate Belleville Deadringer Where Light Divides the Holler In the Walls Guided by the Moon Suffocate Billy No Mates Counting Worms Permanent Deep in the Willow Everything is Quiet Now   LOATHE SETLIST   Gored Dance on My Skin Screaming 451 Days New Faces in the Dark Broken Vision Rhythm Two-Way Mirror Is It Really You? Heavy Is the Head That Falls With the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts   SPEED SETLIST    A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged Big Bite Shut It Down Every Man for Themself One Blood We Bleed Real Sick Real Life Love We See U Not That Nice     KNOCKED LOOSE TOUR DATES (with current lineup of Show Me the Body, Loathe, Speed) MAY 4 The Criterion Oklahoma City, OK* MAY 5 The Factory in Deep Ellum Dallas, TX MAY 6 Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater Austin, TX* MAY 7 White Oak Music Hall Houston, TX* MAY 10 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, AZ* MAY 11 The Shrine kLos Angeles, CA* MAY 12 The Warfield San Francisco, CA* MAY 14 Showbox SoDo Seattle, WA * MAY 15 Roseland Theater Portland, OR* MAY 17 Knitting Factory Boise, ID* MAY 18 The Complex Salt Lake City, UT* MAY 19 The Mission Ballroom Denver, CO* MAY 21 The Pageant St Louis, MO* MAY 22 The Fillmore Minneapolis, MN* MAY 23 The Salt Shed Chicago, IL* MAY 24 MegaCorp Pavilion Newport, KY* MAY 25 Agora Theatre and BallroomCleveland, OH* MAY 28 Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA* MAY 29 The Fillmore Silver Spring, MD* MAY 30 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY* MAY 31 Terminal 5 New York, NY* JUN 1 Roadrunner Boston, MA* JUN 3 Franklin Music Hall Philadelphia, PA* JUN 4 L'Olympia Montreal, QC* JUN 5 HISTORY Toronto, ON* JUN 7 The Ritz Raleigh, NC* JUN 8 The Eastern Atlanta, GA* JUN 9 Jannus Live St. Petersburg, FL* (below dates with Slipknot) AUG 6 Ruoff Music Center Noblesville, IN# AUG 7 The Pavilion at Star Lake Burgettstown, PA# AUG 9 CFG Bank Arena Baltimore, MD# AUG 10 Freedom Mortgage Pavilion Camden, NJ# AUG 12 Madison Square Garden New York, NY# AUG 14 BankNH Pavilion Gilford, NH# AUG 15 Xfinity Center Mansfield, MA# AUG 17 Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON# SEP 7 White River Amphitheatre Auburn, WA# SEP 11 Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater Nampa, ID # SEP 13 Intuit Dome Inglewood, CA # SEP 14 Intuit Dome Inglewood, CA # SEP 15 Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre Phoenix, AZ# SEP 17 Moody Center Austin, TX# SEP 18 Dos Equis Pavilion Dallas, TX# SEP 21 Knotfest Des Moines, IA   READ MORE Knocked Loose Kentucky’s Knocked Loose will be headlining the Skyway Theatre on Wednesday, October 2nd, in support of their second album A Different Shade of Blue.

(Barely) controlled chaos over four acts--

That was the description coming out of the mayhem of a very sold-out show featuring Knocked Loose, Loathe, Show Me the Body, and Speed, who all took over the Granada Theater in downtown Lawrence.

Knocked Loose played this same venue in October 2022 to another sold-out crowd and people were still talking about that show; in the in-between time that this show was announced and with the secret of the mayhem and potency of their live shows now fully out, tickets became very scarce, very quickly.

The Kentucky hardcore punk metal band has a new full-length, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, out at week’s end via Pure Noise Records, but fans (and even some of the staff) had already memorized every word to the three songs issued in advance, “Blinding Faith”, “Don’t Reach for Me” and “Suffocate” (which features Poppy on the studio version).

===

The four-act evening began with a thirty-minute set from Australian five-piece hardcore punk band, Speed, out in support of their upcoming debut album, Only One Mode, due out July 12. Vocalist Jem Siow and his guitarist brother Aaron formed the band out of the ashes of Aaron’s former band Endless Heights, and immediately brought a high energy to the packed house.

Their enthusiasm was contagious (with full-on moshing even before a single note was played), balancing the fierceness of songs like the new single, “Real Life Love” with a very evident joy on their faces to their first big overseas tour, half a world away from their native Sydney. The crowd responded in kind, surprised to start the night so well and becoming fans of their music in the process.

===

Liverpool UK quartet Loathe played for a similar length, the alternative metal rockers out in support of last year’s Audiotree from Nothing EP, with their fourth full-length being written and recorded in-between touring. Their heavy and often dark sound has been described as Deftones-esque, with touches of Sleep Token and early Slipknot, but their touring experience and continued musical growth points to more of a unique sound on their upcoming album.

Vocalist Kadeem France proved an effective inciter, getting the crowd jump as he did, and he himself jumped over to the Bottleneck following, to do double-duty by joining Philly metalcore band Jesus Piece on stage as well.

===

The memorably named Show Me the Body started their thirty-five minute set somewhat slower and slightly awkward, compared to the high-energy of the two previous bands with vocalist/banjo player Julian Pratt more speaking than singing his lyrics, but the NYC post hardcore band, (who has been in the game for a decade), managed to rile the crowd up suitably for the headliner and brought the audience to a frenzy.

The band put out a live album last year and a set of remixes for their previous album, 2022’s Trouble the Water (on Loma Vista Recordings) and Pratt’s eclectic vocals and stage demeanor took a bit of getting used to, though he seemed casual and unbothered, even letting two crew members from backstage, take the mic to rap some verses.

===

After a set change and lights dimming to expose a lit cross, similar to their new album cover, Knocked Loose emerged onto a dark stage amid crowd shrieks and droning walk-on music. Singer Brian Garris entered, and the entire place exploded like a bomb, beginning their seventy-five-minute set with the lead single from the upcoming record, “Blinding Faith”. Bodies and heavy guitar riffs were flying in the air with following song, 2019’s “Mistakes Like Fractures” with the band providing the ideal soundtrack for venting and releasing any pent-up anger or emotions.

Garris possessively stalks the stage with a confidence of knowing the band has become as big as they are, and also asks the audience to give as much of themselves as the band does during the show, a request that’s already a given for the growing census of diehard fans.

The setlist only had the band playing the three singles that have preceded the new album, preferring the fans discover the other new tracks on their own, and also sticking to more familiar favorites. But, given the level of mayhem, Garris probably could have read names from a phone book and still had a pit swirling in circular motion and bodies crowd-surfing on all sides.

With band and audience gasping from a gleeful exhaustion, 2021’s “Permanent” would end their headlining set... or so we were meant to think, with a false ending instead evolving into two more additional songs - “Deep in the Willow” and “Everything is Quiet Now”, the pair of connected singles they released last year that were combined into an extended horror-themed music video.

Like almost every other stop on the current tour, Lawrence was knocked out by the bedlam of Knocked Loose, and more than pleasantly jarred by the musical sparring of support acts, Show Me the Body, Loathe, and Speed, a heavyweight hardcore roster that stands above any other current touring package.

Reporting and All Photos by JASON DOMINGUES

(Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

 

KNOCKED LOOSE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) by Jason Domingues

KNOCKED LOOSE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) by Jason Domingues

SHOW ME THE BODY at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) by Jason Domingues
LOATHE at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) by Jason Domingues
SPEED at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) by Jason Domingues

JohnC ♥ johnc@weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com