If I had to describe my past Friday evening antics in one sentence, I’d reply with: Metalcore mayhem on a boat! Bristolians were treated to the penultimate stop on the UK section of the Rise Up tour, and were certainly rocked about to the max at intimate venue Thekla – an out of commission boat turned music venue! The energy tossed back and forth from band to audience was certainly a notable highlight of the night and I’m sure everyone was disappointed to have disembarked this ship. Okay I’ll stop with the boat puns now…
Openers and U.K. s for this tour were Like Moths to Flames. Their set really started the night with a high intensity and energy level. The energetic bunch’s sound featured elements of shiny pop vocals and sing along anthems, while also bringing hammering metal chaos. The former Emarosa frontman Chris Roetter was, simply put, a ‘beast’ on stage!
Next up where Silverstein. Leaning more to the post-hardcore side of this scene they brought more melodic moments and interesting grooves, while still maintaining levels of heaviness expected with this tour. Their setlist featured fan favourites “My Heroine” and “Smile in Your Sleep”. I was particularly impressed by their crowd interactivity, really getting to know the crowd and cracking some fine jokes. Not bad for a bunch of Americans!
Third on were The Devil Wears Prada, a band who I didn’t really known much about, but had heard their name pop up quite frequently. Little did I know I was going to be in for such a colossal dosage of heavy! TDWP definitely lie on the darker and heavier end of the metalcore/hardcore spectrum and brought about a very, very high energy level, smashing through what the two previous bands had managed (not to put them down at all!).
Sporadic breakdowns had me on edge; the twisted and dark look on vocalist Mike Hranica’s face had me feeling a little nervy; and things around me had definitely heated up, with a huge circle pit opening in the middle of the crowd. Mike frequently hugged the barrier and on the last song decided to leap over it and surround himself with a tonne of sweaty fans screaming lyrics back at his face. Musically solid and performance wise, very entertaining. I definitely wanted more.
Headliners for the European and U.K. sections of this tour, Memphis May Fire, took to the stage with a huge amount of familiarity and definitely the biggest cheers from the audience. Having started the night standing way at the back, I’d somehow ended up on the barrier bang in the centre, and just in time for the headline act. What luck I’d had!
Their set opened with “Carry On”, one of the singles off their latest album This Light I Hold. The band were ever so tight and vocals from Matty Mullins were pitch perfect. Fan favourites such as “No Ordinary Love,” “Miles Away” and “Beneath the Skin” had the crowd singing their lungs out. The band engaged with the crowd well and the response was several pits. With a strict curfew tonight the band ended promptly with old school MMF track “Vices” and the whole venue shook!
Overall the night was thoroughly enjoyable and opened my eyes up to yet another slice of the metal genre.
You can check out a track from Memphis May Fire’s latest album below.
Memphis May Fire: facebook | twitter | instagram
The Devil Wears Prada: official | facebook | twitter | youtube
Silverstein: official | facebook | twitter | youtube
Like Moths To Flames: facebook | twitter
