Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction performing at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. February 8, 2019. Photo Credit: Jared Stossel.

The Amity Affliction
Senses Fail
w/ Silent Planet, Belmont
The Catalyst
Santa Cruz, CA
February 9, 2019
Photos and review by Jared Stossel

On a cold and rainy evening in Santa Cruz, CA, fans stood outside and withstood the oncoming downpour that drenched the Bay Area in order to play witness to a very special evening of music. Australia’s The Amity Affliction and New Jersey’s Senses Fail packed The Catalyst, an iconic venue in downtown Santa Cruz, for an evening filled with melodies and metalcore.

The show was opened by Belmont, an up and coming pop-punk act from Chicago that was regarded as one of the most anticipated acts of the evening. This was a bit problematic for those attending the show, however, given that the show started about 20 minutes earlier than anticipated, meaning that most people who had intended on seeing the band at 7 PM did not get the chance to witness the band’s performance. While the band didn’t play more than a half-hour show, they did announce that they’ll be coming back this spring with Hot Mulligan (a Bay Area date is set for May 7th at Cornerstone in Berkeley).

Los Angeles-based Silent Planet were up next, bringing forth an eclectic styling of metalcore that was more than meets the eye. Technical prowess reigned supreme throughout Silent Planet’s half-hour set, while vocalist Garrett Russell spoke passionately in-between songs about the state of the world and how people can make a change. The band were not your traditional metalcore fare; they were there to make a statement and inform people about the world. Given the number of Silent Planet t-shirts and tank tops scattered throughout members of the crowd, it’s safe to say that a good number of their fanbase were there and along for the ride.

One of the biggest and most memorable performances of the entire night belonged to Senses Fail. The New Jersey quintet hosted an exemplary performance, and one that kept the crowd legitimately begging for more. The tour was a co-headliner, with Senses Fail in the first slot of the two bands, but it’s absolutely clear that the band would have fared well in either spot. Playing a little over an hour, Buddy Nielsen & Co. powered through a career-spanning set with the energy that most pop-punk and post-hardcore bands would dream of having for even half of that time. Nielsen commanded the mic with such confidence and exuberance while the band (guitarists Gavin Caswell and Jason Milbank, bassist Greg Styliades, and drummer Steve Carey) played with tremendous passion through every single track.

The Amity Affliction were the perfect conclusion to this show, bringing together an immense amount of talent and raw emotion to songs that made up their most recent effort, 2018’s Misery. A good chunk of the set was comprised of tracks from the Roadrunner Records release, and the crowd ate up every single moment of it. The intense “Drag The Lake” and synth-laden “Ivy (Doomsday)” kicked things off, before diving headfirst into This Could Be Heartbreak’s “I Bring The Weather With Me”. While the crowd did resonate incredibly well with the newer tracks from albums like Misery and Heartbreak, the room broke out in pandemonium with tracks like “Death’s Hand”, “Don’t Lean On Me”, and “Open Letter”, from acclaimed records Let The Ocean Take Me and Chasing Ghosts. Still, tracks like “D.I.E.” and “Feels Like I’m Dying” produced anthemic sing-alongs (exactly as we had predicted in our earlier review of the Misery record) further cementing Amity Affliction’s power as a driving force and influence in the current world of metalcore music. And with a closing number like “All Fucked Up”, the Australian five-piece had the audience in the palm of their hand by the end of the night.

Fans filtered back out into the rainy Friday evening, knowing that they had experienced a show comprised of artists that poured more than their heart and soul into their songs. Moments of compassion, inspiration, and intensity came in waves throughout the evening, bringing forth an incredible night of post-hardcore music in the Bay Area’s thriving scene.

The Amity Affliction Set List
Drag the Lake
Ivy (Doomsday)
I Bring the Weather With Me
Holier Than Heaven
This Could Be Heartbreak
Shine On
D.I.E
Open Letter
Feels Like I'm Dying
Death's Hand
Set Me Free
Don't Lean On Me
Pittsburgh

Encore:
All Fucked Up

Senses Fail Set List
Can't Be Saved
Shark Attack
Lady in a Blue Dress
Double Cross
Family Tradition
War Paint
Calling All Cars
Gold Jacket, Green Jacket…
(Replaced Lungs Like Gallows)
Negative Space
The Priest And The Matador
Elevator to the Gallows
Buried a Lie
Rum is for Drinking, Not for Burning
Bite to Break Skin (Chop Suey / Bodies / Break Stuff / Bulls on Parade Medley)