Supporting Acts: Caskets, Crown The Empire, DeathbyRomy
Late Spring in Spokane for local concert goers means show season is back at the Knitting Factory, and in this case “The Deathless Tour” (March 13 to April 30, 2024). Set It Off and their cohort of supporting bands Caskets, Crown The Empire, and DeathbyRomy, confidently shook the house with their powerfully driving, and emotionally resonant lyrics. Together, they may primarily fall into the “alt rock” related genres, but each of them incorporate elements from a variety of musical influences like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, Bring Me The Horizon, and many other influences outside of the “Alt Rock” or “Metalcore” genre.
‘The Deathless Tour’ setlist featured Set It Off’s newest single “Fake Ass Friends”, and a wide variety of the band’s songs from their biggest hits, “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”, “Partners In Crime (feat. Ash Costello)”, and “Punching Bag” that together have amassed over 400-million listens on Spotify, with over 3 million monthly listeners.
It wasn’t just the music that made Set It Off’s performance memorable in Spokane. It was the band’s genuine connection with their fans on and in front of the stage, including mattress surfing in the crowd that was most impressive to me. They stepped onto the stage with an infectious energy that immediately had the crowd on their feet singing along. From the moment they launched into their first song, it was clear that they were there to deliver a performance that would leave a lasting impression. And they most certainly did.
The Caskets set highlights included tracks such as “Glass Heart” and “Lost in Echoes”, and “Drowned in Emotion”. They had the shortest set of the group, which for me was a bit disappointing because they have such powerfully emotive lyrics and a vocally melodic metalcore sound that I really appreciate. They had a very nice balance of those elements which makes for a sound that connects with the audience exceptionally well on this tour.
Crown The Empire has historically been one of the tougher bands for photographers like myself to shoot due to the darkness of their set, but the darkness definitely fit the atmosphere of their darker and more emotional metalcore sound. As they closed out their set, Crown The Empire left the stage to deafening cheers and applause, a testament to their reputation as one of the most captivating live acts in the alternative music scene.
DeathbyRomy’s set list had themes of love, loss, and inner turmoil, with tracks like “Problems” and “Hellhound” which showed her ability to craft infectious hooks and memorable melodies, while slower ballads like “Numb (feat. PVRIS)” allowed her to showcase the full range of her vocal prowess. They arguably have the most range of outside influences to their music out of any one group on the tour, and I found myself saying “this is a really cool twist”. Romy truly has a powerfully magnetic and seductive stage presence that I found to be captivating. Out of all of the songs on the tour set list, their song “Hellhound” was the song that became a brain worm for me for several days after seeing the show. Damnit for being so catchy!
Cold spring nights in Spokane for the post-show cool down are always my favorite way to cap off a great show like this and I’ve still had all of these bands on rotation throughout my work week, on repeat. For anyone interested in vocally powerful, catchy “alt rock” or melodic “metalcore”, I definitely recommend catching this short tour before the opportunity passes!
Their latest 2024 single “Fake Ass Friends” is streaming everywhere now, and their latest album “Elsewhere” (2022) is brought to you by Fearless Records.
Set It Off – Band Members:
Cody Carson – Lead Vocals
Zach Dewall – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Maxx Danziger – Drums
Stay tuned to Stereofade for more news and reviews, including our review of Avenged Sevenfold’s concert in North Carolina.
