Spring of 2014 has been a busy one for Michigan based post-hardcore band Chiodos. With so much buzz going around the return of original vocalist and drummer Derrick Frost, the band released a brand new album April 1st titled Devil and hit the road to tour across USA. Wednesday May 21st brought the end of The Devil’s Dance Tour to Irving Plaza, in New York City. Along for the ride were Emarosa, Hands Like Houses, Our Last Night, and ’68. All seasoned veterans in their own right, this colossus line-up sold out Irving Plaza with every inch of the room occupied shortly after doors opened.
First up was a new musical endeavor called ’68. The band is a two piece ensemble consisting of the ex-vocalist of the Chariot, Josh Scogin, and Michael McClellan. Capable of rocking with the best of them Scogin brought his Chariot-like energy throughout the performance, at one point ending up standing on the drum set, flailing about, collapsing on the floor, and even screaming into the kick drum. The performance was full of energy and was a spectacle enjoyed by all. Being the end of tour, the shenanigans occurred all night starting with Bradley Walden, of Emarosa entering the stage mid-set brushing his teeth. With smiles shared between the bands it was evident there was a good rapport on and off the stage of The Devil’s Tour. 68’s debut album In Humor And Sadness is out July 8th
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Second to the stage were Our Last Night, a band driven by the amazing voices of two brothers, Trevor and Matt Wentworth, and rounded by Alex “Woody” Woodrow on bass and Tim Molloy on drums. This New Hampshire band has been creating massive waves as of late, seeing fame on headlining tours and even having songs played in the background of ESPN and other major television broadcasts. Their sound is enticing and catchy, making it easy to sing along to every word.
The diverse and musically talented guys in Our last night came out with an engaging heartfelt performance at Irving Plaza right from the start. Trevor came onto the floor multiple times interacting with the fans, who loved every minute of it. Partaking in their fair share of shenanigans as well the set moved along at a lightening pace. Performing a strong set the band also did a cover of Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” and completely nailed it. Just releasing their newest EP Oak Island in November they will follow up in the form of an acoustic EP by the same name, so keep your ears open for its release.
Next up, from the land down under were Aussie rock band Hands Like Houses. Formed in 2008, the Rise Records band released their sophomore album Unimagine in July 2013 and spent the entire summer as part of Vans Warped Tour. Now more popular than ever the six-piece band was ready for The Devil’s Dance Tour.
Coming out energized, they turned up the heat in Irving Plaza to another level with their electric alternative sounds and catchy vocals. Kicking things off with arguably their most popular song “Lion Skin”, they excited everyone with each song thereafter in the short six song set. Wearing big smiles on their faces the band was engaging and gave off warm vibes. The set concluded with the song “Species” and the guys telling everyone to look out for there headlining tour with Slaves (Jonny Craig’s new band) the following week.
Marking their triumphant return as direct support for Chiodos, Emarosa directly followed with new vocalist Bradley Walden. Formerly of Squid the Whale it was announced in 2013 that he would be the official new vocalist of Emarosa and now the band is set to release their third full-length album Verses in the next few months.
A self-proclaimed Emarosa fan himself, Bradley enjoyed every minute living his dream in the spotlight. Spending nearly every song in the crowd hugging and shaking hands with everyone he could touch, Bradley and Emarosa played songs from both albums done originally with Jonny Craig. While Bradley performed each tune extremely well his moment to shine came when the band belted out new songs such as “Mad” and I’ll Just Wait. and although Bradley’s performance of these were good he truly shined when they touched on new songs “Mad” and “I’ll just Wait”. Seeing them on stage assured fans that Emarosa is back and looking to win their hearts and respect. Verses is perhaps one of the most anticipated albums of 2014 and hopefully a release date will be announced soon.
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Finally the moment came, the lights went red and on stage came Owens to lead Chiodos into a night of musical excellence. Kicking off with “Ole fish lips is dead now”, Irving plaza went crazy with crowd surfers piling over the barricade like waves crushing an untouched beach. Craig moved swiftly about stage hitting each note with ease and showing that he is back where he belongs on stage with Chiodos performing songs that mean so much to him and the fans. Playing through an immense thirteen song set ending with “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last a Minute on the Creek” , the audience could not get enough and chants for an encore could be heard from the bustling city streets out front. Granting their followers wish, Chiodos arrived back on stage to perform “Intensity in Ten Cities” and “If I Cut My Hair, Hawaii Will Sink” . This band is always worth checking out and even more so with Owens back at the helm. While this leg of touring has come to an end, have no fear as the recent announcement just came down that Chiodos will be co-headlining with Blessthefall this summer.
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