On February 8, I attended The Amity Affliction, Senses Fail, Silent Planet, and Belmont concert at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA and it was a great show.
The event began with a fun performance from pop punk act Belmont. The band were energetic and had great songs that really helped warm everyone up early on in the evening. A highlight from their set was “Pushing Daisies.”
Silent Planet took the stage next with their unique brand of metalcore. The group take heavy music and mix it with poetic and atmospheric elements, while maintaining a clear and powerful message. It’s definitely an interesting experience to see them live, especially if you don’t know what to expect beforehand. Some highlights from their set included “Native Blood,” “Panic Room,” and “Depths II.”
After Silent Planet, it was time for the first of the two co-headliners, Senses Fail. The post-hardcore act blasted onstage with “Can’t Be Saved” and just kept rocking from there. Buddy Nielsen may have been the most energetic frontman of the night with crazy dance moves, mic tricks, cartwheels, and more. He was definitely entertaining and the crowd couldn’t get enough. Some highlights from their set included “Lady In A Blue Dress,” “Buried A Lie,” “Elevator To The Gallows,” and their covers medley, which featured System Of A Down’s “Chop Suey.” Drowning Pool’s “Bodies,” Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff,” and Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls On Parade.”
Senses Fail finished up and then it was time for the second of the two co-headliners, Australian metalcore act The Amity Affliction. The band stormed the stage with “Drag The Lake” off their latest album “Misery” as the audience screamed with excitement. From there, the group played a balanced set of new and old tracks with each song being executed flawlessly. Ahren Stringer and Joel Birch’s vocals were especially on point. If you have yet to see The Amity Affliction live, it would be worth your while to catch them on their next tour. Highlights from their set included “This Could Be Heartbreak,” “D.I.E.,” “Don’t Lean On Me,” and their encore “All Fucked Up.”
