by Maria Arroyo
The opening act, Plague Marks, took over the stage with their unbelievable stage presence and interesting fashion choices. Now I love the circus as much as the next person, but clowns?
Yeah, not my thing…
But that’s beside the point.
Getting back on track: their witty and almost comical look really threw me off because of their rock and metal sound.
The sheer amount of VOLUME alone made me very happy I brought some earplugs. And very proud of those who did as well. I didn’t think it was possible for a band to be that loud or for those speakers and sound systems to amplify and push that much sound out but… ya know, here we are.
With that being said, I did enjoy their mix of rock and metal influences and the very brazen decision to have their look be so far from their sound. They made me WANT to keep listening. From the comedy acts to the plate spinning and costume changes, I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end!
Immediately, the crowd became even more enthusiastic and aggressive than before. It didn’t take long for the crowd to basically be back-to-back, with everyone trying to be as close to the stage as they possibly could, even if that meant climbing over everyone to do so.
The band takes a few minutes to get situated on stage. The first burst of sound did not prepare me for the show I was about to witness.
Literally, in a matter of the first 45 seconds of the song, lead singer David Lambeth Yow STAGE DIVED into the crowd with a corded mic, while a stage crew member stood crouched on the stage, trying to keep the cord from tangling or unplugging. Yow makes it about halfway down the crowd before they bring him back up.
Thus, the mosh pit was formed.
Every last second of the show was filled with pushing and shoving and struggling to not get trampled.
The band had PHENOMENAL energy in their stage presence. All of their songs were dynamically different and they continued to be engaged with the audience. Even though the many, many stage dives were entertaining and really added to the experience, there wasn’t much else that was done to keep the performance interesting. That, along with the constant breaks because of how hard the singer was pushing himself, were the only minor hiccups for me.
The band members seemed a little disengaged with the singer, but that didn’t seem to stop the crowd from cheering for them. The band has an incredibly loyal and dedicated fan base and really lived up to my expectations as a band, and his FUCK TRUMP shirt was a nice touch!
My first experience at Union Transfer will definitely not be the last and is most definitely one for the books!
