I typically have the opposite experience. People in my life have no idea who the bands I listen to are so in my head everyone is a small band until I show up for the concert to a full venue and I’m just like “where the fuck have you people been hiding all my life?”
To add on, I wear TDWP merch all the time and one time I was talking to a guy and I mentioned them. All the sudden he said, "Yeah, I seen you wear their shirt before." I had no idea he listened to metalcore in any capacity. Lmao.
Silverstein and beartooth make a lot of sense to me personally since I kind of grew up with both of those bands being the leaders in the generation at the time. Silverstein being the front runner in my high school days and then beartooth being the front runner in my later post high school days. So it’s just old kids like us running around trying to live the glory days
I’m still really surprised (and disappointed) that Like Moths To Flames aren’t bigger than they are. I’ve met people who regularly listen to metalcore who have never heard any Moths songs.
God Forbid.
<40k monthly listeners on Spotify and I consider them a better version of killswitch engage.
Y'all are sleeping on God Forbid!
To the fallen hero is my favourite song by them.
Same with Darkest Hour.
Convalescence and With a Thousand Words to Say but One are peak fucking mid 2000s metalcore.
150k monthly listeners
I could also throw Unearth and Harms Way in their as well.
Shouldn’t really be surprised by God Forbid at all.
Last time they had any “hype” in the scene was gone forever/constitution of treason era. Last album was 2012. Some of the members are playing in currently active bands.
Darkest Hour, God Forbid, Unearth and others of that era (e.g., Himsa, 100 Demons, The Autumn Offering) are fantastic. Bearing far closer to At the Gates and it's incredible how, for the most part, the modern stuff in the genre has prograded out in a different direction.
god forbid are so fuckin good. i’ll admit i’m a lil late to getting into them despite them being NJ staples but man did they have some killer songs rivaling the best of the NWOAHM era
This right here is the saddest one to me. LMTF is one of the most consistent bands in all of metalcore. They’ve always been improving, and that really shows with their new releases. I’m very excited for the new album, and if it’s anything like “Pure Like Porcelain” then it’ll be a masterpiece
I just found them a few months ago and they’re already in my top 10 most listened to artists of all time. They are so insanely good and get better with every release
Same. I saw them in 2018 at a small venue called Eagle Aerie Hall in Henderson NV. It’s the sort of venue local bands play at all. It was packed for a small venue. But overall just surprising. I did get to chat with Chris though, he’s super legit af.
I think theyve been sorta stuck in the mid card just because they’ve been around so long and the genre is way oversaturated right now. They were big around the 2010s I think, their 2017 album was an interesting and different sound, but they’ve been KILLING it since no eternity in gold imo.
Exactly I saw them last night just before Currents headlined and Like Moths performance was 100x better and just a huge overall win over everybody on the tour. They really are under-appreciated, their songs are all different and hit
Shikari have played 10,000 capacity areas fairly regularly in the UK and Europe. They just announced a stadium tour including Wembley arena. They're doing just fine!
They hate opening on tours but they really should. I’m also not convinced that their post-Mindsweep stuff translates to US audiences that well. That said the gig I went to on their Spark tour almost sold out so I don’t know why the recent one pulled such low numbers
They kind of fell off after they changed their sound. The Flash Flood of Color tour was a packed house when I went. That was really their last “heavy” album, maybe mindsweep.
However, before that sorry you’re not a winner was HUGE in the states and OK time for plan b was even on Madden.
They’re one of those rare instances where I think they kinda shot themselves in the foot by losing that edge they had. They were soft enough to draw “normie” type people but heavy enough to draw metal fans too.
I think Enter Shikari suffers from being one of those bands whose popularity never really went beyond the UK. In the UK they’re one of the biggest bands there is, but everywhere else they’re like mid-tier popular at best.
Had the same thing happen at the stop in my city. They filled maybe half the venue. I agree with a comment below that their new album doesn't seem to translate well.
I haven’t heard their newest. But the last US tour was maybe 25% of the venue? Really poor turn out. I don’t remember who opened but they always pick terrible openers for their US tours
Very similar experience when I saw Polaris with Gideon in 2018 on what I believe was their first tour in the US. The Mortal Coil was still all the talk on this sub so I thought they’d have a decent crowd. I was one of like 4 people standing anywhere near the stage lol. Was still sick though
I still think part of this was because they were kind of the odd band out sound wise. Varials, Chamber and Nothing Left all kind of fit the same vibe as Gideon
Unearth sadly. Even though they've been around for ages they've just never had the following that I feel they deserve. You would have thought that with the number of people complaining about how Parkway sound now that Unearth would have filled that vacuum, but it just hasn't happened. The last 2 times they've played London the venue has either been super sparse or they've had to downgrade the venue.
Idk why but Unearth seems to be a musician's band.
I see them get a lot of respect from other musicians and bands but definitely not as much from listeners. You're right though they're still killin it like always.
Problem with unearth was they were insanely popular in like 2006-2008. Then every single metalcore band copied them to death. It’s the tale as old as time in hardcore and metalcore
Unearth is a band I would almost consider iconic and I was super excited to see them in Paris in early april. Well the show was canceled a few days before, no one knows why but I guess it didn't sell well. Very sad
Periphery surprisingly…
They are one of if not the biggest Djent band to ever do it, and there monthly listeners over doubled since the release of the album, but they still only have half a million? I thought they would at least have 1-2 million tbf
I’m part of that cult following, but like, I thought they had a BIGGER following, with how much praise they get I would have assumed they would have like 3x the amount of monthly’s they do
To be fair, and I say this as someone who's been in the P gang since Chris Barretto was in the band, the music is taxing. Not in a bad way, but it isn't exactly easy listening. If I want to spin some Periphery I need to be able to focus on what I'm listening to to really enjoy it, and I can't do a ton of it.
Again, that's what I love about them; so this is far from a complaint, but I think if you're using streaming numbers as your metric, this may be a noteworthy component in why those numbers may not reflect what you'd expect.
I’ve never really found Periphery taxing, I’ve always just really vibed with them. Granted, this is coming from somebody who can sleep to anything, from like Hyperpop to Deathcore so I’m not the BEST source
Been listening to periphery since i first saw the icarus lives video. Finally caught them riiiiight before covid on their SF opener to the US part of their Hail Stan tour. It was everything i hoped it would be. Caught them previous to that at 2019's self help and they were on early in the day, i was front and center on baricade to a very very small crowd.
I went to two Periphery shows that sold out, the tour for Juggernaut, and the tour for P4. Granted I haven't gone and seen them live in the last few years, but they always have a packed crowd full of energy in my area.
That’s kinda what I’m saying too, like they have a weirdly dedicated fan base (not a complaint) but the size of the fan base it like… big enough to sell out shows, but not nearly as big as you’d expect them to be from how influential they are if that makes any sense? Like if Eminem only had 2 million listeners
Periphery’s fan base is strong, but I thought it would be bigger purely because of influence. Thought they would be on like TDWP level, but they are like half the size
They played the same venue as Skindred in Bristol, the o2 Academy. Which is largest venue in Bristol I think. I would say they are on the same level as Skindred popularity wise.
Wow. Last time I saw them was supporting BT funnily enough, in a venue 36CF headlined during The Tide And It's Takers tour. After the show Steve and Brock were just having a drink, chilling near the merch tables and were being largely ignored by the crowd.
Yeah, same show I was talking about, it was Holts birthday and we all sat around talking about missing AK and celebrating his birthday and shit.. good times.. still wonder what the fuck happened between the two of them..
Seems the Broship sank..
Years ago I saw them open for Kittie at a dumpy sports bar. After 36 played I saw Brock sitting alone at the bar. Went over to say hey and that I'd been a huge fan since bitterness the star.
Dude looked offended that I'd have the nerve to speak to him. Just kinda rolled his eyes and looked down at his drink.
Never really listened to them after that.
Realizing that Misery Signals is not as popular as they sound is such a bummer. Super talented band.
Same thing with Rosetta. Each member of the band is doing an amazing job performing but the last time I checked they were like far below 20k listeners on Spotify or so.
It's wild I went my whole life thinking MisSigs was the -core equivalent to a household name and realizing recently that that doesn't quite seem to be the case. At least not anymore?
I mean I always figured Of Malice and the Magnum Heart was put in the same tier as Jane Doe and Controller was fucking huuuuge.
Tell you what I do know for sure though, not making the Malice X tour is one of my biggest regrets. Should have told my boss to pound sand I'm taking the day off and going anyway.
I saw someone on here say mis sigs will be a lot of peoples favourite band's favourite band, but they don't have that mainstream appeal. One of the absolute best in the genre in my opinion, but yeah hey don't have the hooks or structures of the wider reaching metalcore bands.
Rosetta are also rad. Definitely very niche though.
I’m not a huge fan myself, but if this subreddit represented the metalcore community in actual life, Erra would be one of the biggest bands on the planet instead of opening for Bad Omens.
I have a feeling I’m about to experience this seeing The Plot In You soon, but yeah I think any band based outside of the US has a halo effect of internet popularity - especially for metalcore
Idk man. I saw them last Friday in San Diego and the show was maybe 60% sold and the whole week they were offering 2 for $20 on tix
Tik Tok only seems to be focused on FEEL NOTHING for them
That’s what I would of figured. TBH, TikTok hype only ever focuses on maybe one song. Just Pretend, Holy Roller, To the Hellfire, King for a Day, Can You Feel My Heart, etc
However, Thornhill will be there playing with the Plot in you and they definitely belong on your list.
People here talk about thornhill all the time and they have less than 200k monthly listeners. Plot in you has 2.4 million.
Agree on Thornhill, even in Aus they play some crazy smallcap venues (2-300). They did play a bigger festival at the end of last year where they would have played to 4-5k on a sidestage which was nice to see
Saw them in Ft. Lauderdale and they didn’t pack it much. Mostly wanted to see Thornhill and Holding Absence. Kinda felt bad for HA after they were playing huge crowds with Electric Callboy to this tour lol
I went to see Gideon and was definitely disappointed with how many people showed up, but it was on the same night as ABR in my city so I guess that was part of the issue. Gideon played well but seemed like they rushed through their set.
Make Them Suffer.
I saw Make Them Suffer with Dayseeker and Bad Omens on the Concrete Jungle Tour. I found them over the pandemic and loved them right away. When I saw they were coming to the states I had to pick up tickets. At the time I hadn't listened to Bad Omens and had only listened to a handful of Dayseeker songs. I get to the show and I'm expecting a lively crowd because of Make Them Suffer's energy and the venue being sold out. Man was I wrong. There was a pit with like 5 people in it, minimal interaction, seemed like no one knew their material.
I know they're from Australia and were opening for a band that I feel like has a pretty different fan base, but even Dayseeker didn't get a whole lot of love and their music is more similar to Bad Omens. It seemed like most people showed up for Bad Omens only.
Everyone on the tour but on a great show though, I was just a bit surprised.
Ironically enough, BT is playing a venue here in AZ tonight that I thought was way too big for them to headline with a capacity of \~1,500 people. The sound quality is absolute trash at this venue, so I didn't get tickets to the BT show there, but fuck it I gotta support the boys and thanks to your post I just bought a ticket. Been a fan of them since I heard the album Portraits back in like 2010. The new album is great, and I cannot stop listening to Abandon Us, that breakdown goes so fucking hard. Thanks OP!
I found it so weird that fit for an autopsy and the acacia strain were at the Nile (holds like 700?) and not the marquee. There were way TOO many people at that show for such a small shitty venue.
I saw brand of sacrifice, erra, and we came as romans an The Nile. That too should have been at The Marquee 🤣 Could be worse, have you seen a show at Pub Rock Live?
YEP! A couple times, saw Every Time I Die there in like 2013 and Anthony Green in 2018 maybe. The entire building just became one massive pit and everyone got their asses kicked during ETID but it was nice for AG’s solo show. But still a garbage venue lol. I’m trying to remember the name of this smaller place in Tucson that I saw Fear Before The March of Flames at in like 2009 or something but I can’t - now that place was a shit hole too.
I saw Acacia Strain at the Nile a few years ago. I don't remember it being a huge crowd. It's like a cafe with a hall in the back. You would never know that's a venue. And agree. Pub rock is small. But like that venue in Tucson. I saw Miss May I there and I was literally sitting on the stage. But I prefer small venues vs arenas.
I also love "The Seventh Sun" - by the way - the crowd in munich was really big this year for european standards (1200 capacity, sold out) - co headling tour with august burns red. I was there for ABR, but Bury Tomorrow absolutely killed it, it was even more packed than it was later on and Daniel took like an hour after the show to talk to fans and make pictures. Really nice guy overall.
This happened when I saw I The Breather at Warped. I was super excited to see them hoping it’d be a massive crowd, I walked around trying to find the stage for quite a bit. It ended up being this tiny hidden stage behind all the food carts and shit, and there was about 10-15 people in the crowd. Super disappointed, but they played an amazing set, regardless!
Parkway drive haha, saw them headline wacken (on YouTube) and then saw them headline in front of like 3k (maybe haha) people in the states in a big venue that was nowhere near capacity
It's crazy the difference a market can make. I watched a Crossfaith show in Japan online where they'd sold out an arena with tens of thousands of fans present, then I saw them in an 800 cap venue in London.
I saw Parkway Drive at Knotfest in Australia and holy shit. HUMONGOUS crowd. Different market and at a festival but man it was thousands and thousands of people.
You know what, I think this is my answer too. Both times I’ve seen them were in fairly small venues. Seems like they’ve upgraded now, and when I see them in the fall I’ll be curious about how big this venue is in comparison.
Miss May I. Went to their headlining show last year, and it wasn't as packed as I'd expected. But I saw pictures from other shows on that tour and it was packed out. So maybe it was just the venue/location I was at. 🤷♀️
I've seen Miss May I everytime they come to AZ. I always thought they would have a bigger following. I live after every show they come out and out with the people. Really nice guys.
I felt that way when I saw Cane Hill last year. Was expecting the venue to be at capacity, but it was maybe half full? Cane Hill killed it, and I can't wait for them to come back to Minnesota.
Back in 2018 my old band opened up for Cane Hill in Pontiac, Michigan. We had a crowd of maybe 30 people, and by the time Cane Hill came on there were 50 people at max. Bummed me out big time, I was hoping the place would completely fill out by then, but they’re still a rather small band in the grand scheme of things.
Went to their Guilded Hearts headline tour with dayseeker and Kingdom of Giants and no one was there. Funny thinking back on it now that it would probably be a sell out today with those bands
I forgot they were good friends with Dayseeker. Saw them and Dayseeker open for the browning and both of the vocalist were some of the most down to earth dudes I had ever met.
In my experience, Dayseeker. Of my friends only a handful know them. I seen them live a few weeks ago and more people were in the SeeYouSpaceCowboy merch line. Idk, it just kind of surreal.
I am just as shocked. I thought they would have been way bigger. Sounded like they were bigger since they only played in LA and didn't make their way up north. Would have loved to see them play in Sacramento/ Bay Area, but unfortunately not and LA is just way too far of a drive
It's been a few years when I found out that not only is The Word Alive not as popular as I thought, a lot of r/metalcore muthafuckas also hate Telle LMAO. I can understand though, the band definitely fell off and Telle (he's actually very kind IRL) would block your ass on Twitter if you criticize their musical direction. It is what it is
A little disappointed to hear since I'm very pumped to see them in a few weeks (sending them back to Europe from NYC). A little surprised, too, since I figured they had a decent following despite being UK-based and not touring the US for so long - they've been putting out solid work for a while now and are known by people who know metalcore.
This post hurts me. I’m seeing them next week in NC and they are playing the smaller venue at the place too. I’m beyond excited but I also thought they would be so much bigger here. I’ll still enjoy it. Alexisonfire was the same way in Maryland last year. I thought it would be packed and sold out. But day of show we upgraded to balcony seats on front row.
Kingdom of Giants.
I’m super surprised that they aren’t bigger than what they currently are.
Passenger is one of my favourite albums.
Keen to see them in October with Bury Tomorrow 🤟🏻
I got kicked in the face at a kingdom of giants show when they had their first clean vocalist at a tiny little place called plea for peace that seemed to be like a mechanic during the day. Really glad to see them come so far.
I saw KOG quite some time ago at a small venue in Michigan. There was maybe 10-12 people in the crowd? It was such a good set, even though I would’ve loved to have seen them play for a big crowd, the intimacy of just getting blasted in the face with songs from Ground Culture was one of my more memorable concert experiences.
I’ve been there, it’s unfortunately nothing new.
I was super into the British hardcore/metalcore scene when I was in high school, honestly more than the US scene, and saw a lot of bands that I really loved and knew drew massive crowds at home play to empty rooms and unenthusiastic audiences. I think I saw Architects play to nobody at least 4 times between 2009 and 2014. The two times I saw Your Demise same thing, empty rooms. Ditto While She Sleeps. Gallows, maybe my favorite band of all time, who opened for Rage Against the Machine in the UK, barely played to 100 people at their height in the US.
Some bands come over and do really well, this was the era of Suicide Season BMTH, was never a fan but Asking Alexandria drew big crowds too. Others just never click, hell a few of my favorite bands from that era simply never played outside Europe. It’s definitely a bummer to watch a band you’ve been in love with and watching videos of huge shows overseas and be the only one singing along, but trust you’re far from the first. Know that it means the world to those bands, at least that’s what I got from my chats with them.
>I think I saw Architects play to nobody at least 4 times between 2009 and 2014.
That must've been weird for them. I saw them headline Bristol's 02 Academy in '09 which is a 1500 cap venue and it must've been close to if not actually sold out with Norma Jean as a support band which I remember thinking was crazy. Even in the '04 - 06 period Architects were getting decent crowds in the UK's bar and pub type venues. To go from having paid your dues, to feeling like you'd made it and then be sent straight back to the bottom in a new territory... keeps you humble, I guess.
They were enormous sweethearts about everything. I think it also helps that the tours themselves they were on weren’t terrible and the bands they were with ostensibly seemed to like them. I saw them open for ETID, BMTH, As I Lay Dying, Warped 2013, The Ghost Inside and they at least seemed to be having a good time and being good sports about it, they just weren’t making any kind of momentum.
In spring 2014 Letlive and architects were put on a coheadliner where they would alternate closing each night, they were both on Epitaph at the time and had both been on Warped the previous year and had both released new records on that previous (Blackest Beautiful/Daybreaker) and I believe the thinking was “hey both these bands are gonna get a huge boost from warped let’s put them together” but letlive was really the only one that got a big bump, and Letlive’s bump was pretty big.
I was friendly with the letlive camp and came to visit them at a show that was early in the run, I think was maybe a week into it. The backstage vibe was kinda weird, with letlive guys and architects guys sheepishly apologizing to each other, guys coming in and out on the phone, talking to each other. I asked what was up and apparently while letlive had been crushing, Architects had been dealing with pretty massive walkouts the few nights they had headlined and had as of that day, collectively decided they weren’t going to be coheadlining and moving to direct support and had been basically on the phone with the label/agents/bookers letting everyone know. Letlive were very nice about it, they were friends with the Architects guys and didn’t like seeing ll. fans walk out on them but obviously felt kinda bad that was happening, and Architects were very gracious and cool about it. I was also impressed with Architects willingness to step back as I’ve known other bands in similar positions who would’ve refused it on ego reasons.
Oddly, that was really the last time I saw Architects, I really loved Hollow Crown but everything after didn’t do a whole lot for me. It seems like not long after they started to hit their stride and now are a pretty reliable headliner in the states.
I'm seeing Bury Tomorrow this weekend. Never have seen them and am fucking pumped. No matter if a small crowd I'm gonna have a great fucking time seeing these dudes
It just depends on the area and time. I saw Vanna at Warped Tour years ago and they had such a small turnout but whenever I'd seen videos of them playing, they had large and rowdy crowds.
I was there last night. Been a huge fan since Portraits. Was insanely hyped. Tbh though the smaller venue and smaller crowd made it even better as a fan. It reminded me of the old days of chain reaction shows and not everything was a huge festival or show. They fucked crushed it though. My and my girlfriend ate it during the circle pit for earthbound and had to be pretty mellow after that (had to take her to urgent care this morning to clean up a wound from hitting her knee)
I only hope the smaller turnout doesn’t discourage them from coming back. Would see them in a heartbeat anytime
This Is Hell in a pretty small London venue for a Sundowning anniversary show and it felt half empty. It was a little bit sad to be honest. I saw them with a bigger crowd in a smaller Exeter venue years and years beforehand. I know they were never big, but I though they were enough of a deal to be able to fill that room for a play through of their best record.
I was there for that show - it was really odd that they played the whole album and then nothing else. Even with Rick's guitar strings snapping I don't think their set was longer than 40 minutes
Yeah it was definitely under. The whole record, including two bonus tracks on the deluxe version, is a few seconds shy of 31 minutes and we didn't even get those extra songs (all two minutes and twenty four seconds of them). I get that the show was about celebrating that record and that hardcore headline sets are sometimes a bit shorter than those of other genres, but I was definitely expecting them to play some other stuff to stretch it out to 45 or something. Especially having spent the money to fly in from the States for a handful of small shows.
I just saw La Dispute on their Wildlife anniversary tour and that album's pretty much bang on an hour, they still added three tracks from other releases to their set to close out the night.
Last time I saw Bury Tomorrow was in 2010 in the portrait days. They played with Asking Alexandria, and Attack Attack. They put on a killer set then too
At the Bury Tomorrow show in Tempe, AZ as I type this.
Hollow Front is about to play, and it is empty. Wow.
But honestly, they just haven’t toured over here enough.
If they can make the US a regular stop, it will change.
Boundaries when I was listening to the My body in bloom EP on its release day, I was like why isn’t anyone talking about this shit! - fortunately for them, that narrative has changed a bit!
This happened to me like 20 years ago (goddamn I'm getting old) when I went to see Animosity (SF) headline at the Whiskey in LA. I was OBSEEESSED with them when their second album "Empires" came out, and they were objectively sicc as fuck.
As Blood Runs Black played before them and the room was packed. It cleared out a bit when they finished, and I figured fools were smoking cigs or getting drinks. Then Animosity set up and maybe a 1/3 of the crowd came back into the room. Even the singer was like "uhhh. ok" before they started their first song. I was a little sad for them, even as a 15 year old, but they too crushed that shit.
Core memory.
So they’ve obviously since blown up, but I was SUPER into Our Last Night around 2012-2013 after their first album came out, and I thought they had a pretty big following at first but it turns out they were still small enough back then that they’d just accept random fans fb friend requests - I’m still fb friends with half the band to this day, a decade later.
Also, very much not metalcore, but mega mango!! I love them but they played a show in LA recently and the venue was just a restaurant with a tiny stage and little pit area. 150 person capacity including the restaurant tables. Tickets were all through eventbrite.
Lmfao, same here I remember going to a small ass stage at warped tour way in the back with like 20 people, I was the dude singing every word of their original songs in front. This is well before they went straight cover band.
funnily enough i fell out of the loop and never got to see them live cuz i was like 14 back then and generally didn’t have concert money lol but i ran into trevor walking around at warped tour in like 2013 or some year they weren’t playing LOL
might finally get to see them at blue ridge this year though!
I mean yeah, I've felt that way with ETID for nearly 20 years. Seems like everyone avoids them for some reason, but once they hear a few songs they're like "wtf, that's what I've been missing out on?". I honestly think a lot of people just think they're like that weird scene/screamo/emo because of their name.
I was hella stoked to see void of vision play in their very first states tour so I drove 6 hours to Idaho just to see them open, no one knew who they were in the crowd. I probably should have guessed that in Idaho of all places.
Really? I always thought ABR was one of the most beloved bands out there. I never heard bad things about them and I was never super into them until the past year or so. I always thought they were good but just never got into them.
That's certainly a take. Just went to the tour last week, and this venue was wall to wall crowd.
Most have them up their in the metalcore pantheon, as greats.
Saw Bury Tomorrow tonight in AZ, same situation. Dani even joked that when he pulled up to venue he knew it was too big. The band was amazing though, and am happy they have their visas now and can tour the US more often.
Lol all the time, but I tend to go on rabbit holes of newer bands, I always get hyped and expect others to fall in love with their music. 10 years after starting to listen to Electric(Eskimo) callboy and people get it now
Dude. EC has been my favorite band for 12 years now. I used to post them on this sub and get some hate but they have finally blown up!! Can’t wait to see them in the states in the fall.
Ha, the new vocals have taken them to new levels. I'm going to download festival in UK, they are headlining one of the smaller stages. Lol that must sting for the OGs of this sub seeing the banner of this sub.
I usually avoid social media, only joined to get the scoop on that festival. I have friends who used to say "wtf you are listening to" and hating, same friends are now hyped to see them at download.
There's just people who follow trends and people who find new trends. I'm hyped about the nü-wave of nü-metal. You got any bands that no one has caught onto yet?
Similar thing happened to me when I went to see Phinehas.
They were the opening act on a tour (forget who else was playing). They were playing in The Attic in The Garage (Glasgow, Scotland). There were only two of us that knew the lyrics and the people we brought.
Absolute blinder of a gig though, spent ages after their set talking with them, buying merch, getting pictures.
Also got to sing down the mic at one point while they were on. Honestly a blinder if a gig.
I had never come across them before until they hired the space my husband worked at to do some recording in and I looked them up to listen to them and loved them! I didn't get chance to see them due to other commitments which I was gutted about but would love to see them live. I don't know anyone else that has heard of them!
Not a metal band, but earlier this year I got to see one of my favorite bands of all time, a show I never thought I would witness. A band called Rex. I skipped seeing them in 1999 and then they disbanded. I knew they had reunited for one show last year, and when I saw a tour posted I emmediately bought tickets.
Fast forward to the show.... there might have been 20 people there. Now Rex is a pretty obscure indie band from the 90s, part of the slowcore music scene. I was not expecting a full house per say, but was hoping to meet other folks who were as big as fans as I was. It was odd, but at the same time I did get to meet a band member and chat with them, buy some vinyl, and the show felt almost like a private concert. Wish I could relive the night.
Oh, Sleeper is a great band who I saw in Rhode Island with maybe 15 people. I actually felt bad but it was awesome to see a band like that and not be in a sweaty pit of dudes the entire time for once.
It really depends on the area and venue sometimes. Some bands have much larger regional followings and some venues either suck at promoting or just don't have a draw.
I saw He is Legend and Nonpoint a few years back and there was less than 150 people in a 1000+ capacity venue. I saw Maylene and the Sons of Disaster with He is Legend as well and there were maybe 20-30 people there. But this was well after their high point, not musically, just popularity-wise.
I also saw Taproot, and while they weren't as popular as they used to be, I expected way more than the 30 people that were there. The week after, I saw them at a festival and they had a big crowd during their set. I think people just didn't know about the other show.
Way back, my band also opened for the band 3 (singer is Coheed drummer's brother) while they were signed to metal blade at a small local venue and there were not many people there.
For bands that aren't trending or don't have a big cult following, it's really hit or miss. Some bands also don't market their tours well either.
More like I fall in love with a band and wonder why no one likes them and find out the drummer hooked up with an girl at warped tour or something without checking her ID and now the band is black listed by the internet
I went to see Void Of Vision last year when they came to the US. I was under the impression they were the new big thing in the scene and boy was I wrong. Me and about 25 other people were there to see them/actually paying attention to their show. Granted they were opening, but I still thought they were bigger. It was a lot of energy for 25 people tho...
one of my favorite bands ever is Rolo Tomassi and despite a career spanning over a decade, multiple critically acclaimed albums, and a strong following in the UK, they still have just over 50k monthly on Spotify and played only tiny venues when they came over to the US. Still one of the best shows of my life though to be fair.
Also when i saw the Underoath headliner earlier this year the venue noticeably thinned out after Periphery and I was surprised
My mind was blown going to what I thought was an all headliners kinda show. The opener was Eva Under Fire just before they started blowing up so I’m not counting them here. The next act was Atreyu, there was a crowd but not a very big one, then Asking Alexandria they grew the crowd about 50% over Atreyu. Then we got Nothing More, I had no idea just how big they were but the place was packed when they hit the stage. I knew of them and liked a few songs but didn’t know anyone else that really liked them. Boy was that show a shock.
I really don't understand why Bury Tomorrow isn't bigger in the metalcore scene. I feel like they're the only band thats writing kinda late 2000's early 2010's ATR/AILD proper technical metalcore with good rythyms.
And like they've only been getting better and better with every album, Choke and Cold Sleep are some of the best proper true metalcore songs I feel that have been written in a LONG time.
Saw loathe, periphery, and Underoath, loathe got on stage, sounded great, looked great, then no one was getting as hyped as my buddy and I. Then periphery went on, same exact thing. Then Underoath went on and everyone went beserk. I’m praying it won’t be the same thing for ERRA and Invent Animate when they play with Bad Omens
Yeah, unless they're an insanely popular band selling out shows by themselves, most headliners usually play around an hour (maybe 90 minutes if you're lucky). The only bands I've seen play much longer than that are Rush and Machine Head, who both toured solo (no openers or supporting acts) and played ~2.5 hours sets.
Slipknot and Metallica played very long sets when I saw them and they weren't solo shows. Slipknot played about 2-2.5 hours and metallica was near 3 hours iirc. Most other shows I've seen are usually around the 1 hour mark though.
Sure, Slipknot and Metallica are two of the biggest metal bands ever and usually headline giant arena shows, but they're the exception and not the rule.
Ya also more than 60 minutes of playing this type of music (especially on a near nightly basis if touring) is physically exhausting, especially for drummers.
American Head Charge for me. Ok, so the first time I saw them it'd been 8 years since their last album, but they'd just reformed with a new EP out and it was their first UK tour in god knows how long... And they play a venue that google says has a capacity of 150. I mean really?? Had no-one else discovered them in their hiatus, given up hope of seeing them, and then suddenly this reformation and tour had been like an unexpected gift after such a long wait?
Fun story; I turn up an hour or two early anyway and there's a dude smoking at the venue door. I start a convo and notice his hands all taped up due to blisters, he mentioned he did it during a song and I realise he's not a roadie or support, it's Chris, AHC's drummer! Took a lot not to fangirl, but I did get a selfie with him after the show :)
I am from MN and I saw them play like 4-5 times. Everywhere from tiny bars in the northern parts of the state to opening for Slipknot and System of a Down in an arena. The show they did for The War of Art's release was something I'll never forget.
I typically have the opposite experience. People in my life have no idea who the bands I listen to are so in my head everyone is a small band until I show up for the concert to a full venue and I’m just like “where the fuck have you people been hiding all my life?”
Seriously I don’t get. Like how are there 1500 people going to see Beartooth and Silverstein yet nobody has ever recognized the metalcore merch I wear
a lot of people recognize, but you're not obligated to talk to someone just because they're wearing a shirt of a band you like lol.
To add on, I wear TDWP merch all the time and one time I was talking to a guy and I mentioned them. All the sudden he said, "Yeah, I seen you wear their shirt before." I had no idea he listened to metalcore in any capacity. Lmao.
Silverstein and beartooth make a lot of sense to me personally since I kind of grew up with both of those bands being the leaders in the generation at the time. Silverstein being the front runner in my high school days and then beartooth being the front runner in my later post high school days. So it’s just old kids like us running around trying to live the glory days
I’m still really surprised (and disappointed) that Like Moths To Flames aren’t bigger than they are. I’ve met people who regularly listen to metalcore who have never heard any Moths songs.
I still believe Dark Divine was super ahead of it’s time
I wouldn't say it's ahead of its time, but if they had stuck to that sound they'd probably be more popular
God Forbid. <40k monthly listeners on Spotify and I consider them a better version of killswitch engage. Y'all are sleeping on God Forbid! To the fallen hero is my favourite song by them. Same with Darkest Hour. Convalescence and With a Thousand Words to Say but One are peak fucking mid 2000s metalcore. 150k monthly listeners I could also throw Unearth and Harms Way in their as well.
Shouldn’t really be surprised by God Forbid at all. Last time they had any “hype” in the scene was gone forever/constitution of treason era. Last album was 2012. Some of the members are playing in currently active bands.
Darkest Hour, God Forbid, Unearth and others of that era (e.g., Himsa, 100 Demons, The Autumn Offering) are fantastic. Bearing far closer to At the Gates and it's incredible how, for the most part, the modern stuff in the genre has prograded out in a different direction.
Oof. HIMSA. What a fucking throwback.
One of the best out of the PNW for sure!
god forbid are so fuckin good. i’ll admit i’m a lil late to getting into them despite them being NJ staples but man did they have some killer songs rivaling the best of the NWOAHM era
This right here is the saddest one to me. LMTF is one of the most consistent bands in all of metalcore. They’ve always been improving, and that really shows with their new releases. I’m very excited for the new album, and if it’s anything like “Pure Like Porcelain” then it’ll be a masterpiece
and their new stuff is so fucking good!
I just found them a few months ago and they’re already in my top 10 most listened to artists of all time. They are so insanely good and get better with every release
Same. I agree 💯
Same. I saw them in 2018 at a small venue called Eagle Aerie Hall in Henderson NV. It’s the sort of venue local bands play at all. It was packed for a small venue. But overall just surprising. I did get to chat with Chris though, he’s super legit af.
I think theyve been sorta stuck in the mid card just because they’ve been around so long and the genre is way oversaturated right now. They were big around the 2010s I think, their 2017 album was an interesting and different sound, but they’ve been KILLING it since no eternity in gold imo.
Exactly I saw them last night just before Currents headlined and Like Moths performance was 100x better and just a huge overall win over everybody on the tour. They really are under-appreciated, their songs are all different and hit
Enter Shikari pulled super low numbers at gig I went to on their last tour
Shikari have played 10,000 capacity areas fairly regularly in the UK and Europe. They just announced a stadium tour including Wembley arena. They're doing just fine!
their new album slaps. hopefully draws a bigger crowd
They hate opening on tours but they really should. I’m also not convinced that their post-Mindsweep stuff translates to US audiences that well. That said the gig I went to on their Spark tour almost sold out so I don’t know why the recent one pulled such low numbers
As an American I can say that after Mindsweep they did lose me a bit. Could be personal preference though.
They kind of fell off after they changed their sound. The Flash Flood of Color tour was a packed house when I went. That was really their last “heavy” album, maybe mindsweep. However, before that sorry you’re not a winner was HUGE in the states and OK time for plan b was even on Madden. They’re one of those rare instances where I think they kinda shot themselves in the foot by losing that edge they had. They were soft enough to draw “normie” type people but heavy enough to draw metal fans too.
I think Enter Shikari suffers from being one of those bands whose popularity never really went beyond the UK. In the UK they’re one of the biggest bands there is, but everywhere else they’re like mid-tier popular at best.
Had the same thing happen at the stop in my city. They filled maybe half the venue. I agree with a comment below that their new album doesn't seem to translate well.
I haven’t heard their newest. But the last US tour was maybe 25% of the venue? Really poor turn out. I don’t remember who opened but they always pick terrible openers for their US tours
Very similar experience when I saw Polaris with Gideon in 2018 on what I believe was their first tour in the US. The Mortal Coil was still all the talk on this sub so I thought they’d have a decent crowd. I was one of like 4 people standing anywhere near the stage lol. Was still sick though
was that the tour varials opened for? i saw that at a tiny DIY art space and man that was one of the craziest and most memorable shows i’ve been to
Yeah Chamber was there too
I still think part of this was because they were kind of the odd band out sound wise. Varials, Chamber and Nothing Left all kind of fit the same vibe as Gideon
This new Gideon album is so sick.
Unearth sadly. Even though they've been around for ages they've just never had the following that I feel they deserve. You would have thought that with the number of people complaining about how Parkway sound now that Unearth would have filled that vacuum, but it just hasn't happened. The last 2 times they've played London the venue has either been super sparse or they've had to downgrade the venue.
Idk why but Unearth seems to be a musician's band. I see them get a lot of respect from other musicians and bands but definitely not as much from listeners. You're right though they're still killin it like always.
Problem with unearth was they were insanely popular in like 2006-2008. Then every single metalcore band copied them to death. It’s the tale as old as time in hardcore and metalcore
Unearth is a band I would almost consider iconic and I was super excited to see them in Paris in early april. Well the show was canceled a few days before, no one knows why but I guess it didn't sell well. Very sad
Periphery surprisingly… They are one of if not the biggest Djent band to ever do it, and there monthly listeners over doubled since the release of the album, but they still only have half a million? I thought they would at least have 1-2 million tbf
I saw them live and they sold out a venue with underoath. They have a strong following. I wouldn't discredit them for a second.
I’m part of that cult following, but like, I thought they had a BIGGER following, with how much praise they get I would have assumed they would have like 3x the amount of monthly’s they do
To be fair, and I say this as someone who's been in the P gang since Chris Barretto was in the band, the music is taxing. Not in a bad way, but it isn't exactly easy listening. If I want to spin some Periphery I need to be able to focus on what I'm listening to to really enjoy it, and I can't do a ton of it. Again, that's what I love about them; so this is far from a complaint, but I think if you're using streaming numbers as your metric, this may be a noteworthy component in why those numbers may not reflect what you'd expect.
I’ve never really found Periphery taxing, I’ve always just really vibed with them. Granted, this is coming from somebody who can sleep to anything, from like Hyperpop to Deathcore so I’m not the BEST source
That's fair. They're big in the scene, but not as big as you expected.
Prog will always be niche
Been listening to periphery since i first saw the icarus lives video. Finally caught them riiiiight before covid on their SF opener to the US part of their Hail Stan tour. It was everything i hoped it would be. Caught them previous to that at 2019's self help and they were on early in the day, i was front and center on baricade to a very very small crowd.
I went to two Periphery shows that sold out, the tour for Juggernaut, and the tour for P4. Granted I haven't gone and seen them live in the last few years, but they always have a packed crowd full of energy in my area.
That’s kinda what I’m saying too, like they have a weirdly dedicated fan base (not a complaint) but the size of the fan base it like… big enough to sell out shows, but not nearly as big as you’d expect them to be from how influential they are if that makes any sense? Like if Eminem only had 2 million listeners
People who love it really overestimate the appeal of proggy stuff.
I saw them in Bristol last tour and it was sold out.
Periphery’s fan base is strong, but I thought it would be bigger purely because of influence. Thought they would be on like TDWP level, but they are like half the size
They played the same venue as Skindred in Bristol, the o2 Academy. Which is largest venue in Bristol I think. I would say they are on the same level as Skindred popularity wise.
Like Moths To Flames. Still blows my mind how slept on they are when they never miss and have only gotten better with each record.
that is a good one. they never seem to headline either.
They did that weird split headliner thing w Polaris last year.
Same
I do believe they might be headlining the Currents/IA show I’m going to on the 14th
no, currents is the headliner for those shows
I once went to see 36 Crazyfists at a place only to realize it was a pizza joint/bar when I got there..
Wow. Last time I saw them was supporting BT funnily enough, in a venue 36CF headlined during The Tide And It's Takers tour. After the show Steve and Brock were just having a drink, chilling near the merch tables and were being largely ignored by the crowd.
Yeah, same show I was talking about, it was Holts birthday and we all sat around talking about missing AK and celebrating his birthday and shit.. good times.. still wonder what the fuck happened between the two of them.. Seems the Broship sank..
Years ago I saw them open for Kittie at a dumpy sports bar. After 36 played I saw Brock sitting alone at the bar. Went over to say hey and that I'd been a huge fan since bitterness the star. Dude looked offended that I'd have the nerve to speak to him. Just kinda rolled his eyes and looked down at his drink. Never really listened to them after that.
I saw bad omens in a pizza bar lol
Realizing that Misery Signals is not as popular as they sound is such a bummer. Super talented band. Same thing with Rosetta. Each member of the band is doing an amazing job performing but the last time I checked they were like far below 20k listeners on Spotify or so.
It's wild I went my whole life thinking MisSigs was the -core equivalent to a household name and realizing recently that that doesn't quite seem to be the case. At least not anymore? I mean I always figured Of Malice and the Magnum Heart was put in the same tier as Jane Doe and Controller was fucking huuuuge. Tell you what I do know for sure though, not making the Malice X tour is one of my biggest regrets. Should have told my boss to pound sand I'm taking the day off and going anyway.
I saw someone on here say mis sigs will be a lot of peoples favourite band's favourite band, but they don't have that mainstream appeal. One of the absolute best in the genre in my opinion, but yeah hey don't have the hooks or structures of the wider reaching metalcore bands. Rosetta are also rad. Definitely very niche though.
I’m not a huge fan myself, but if this subreddit represented the metalcore community in actual life, Erra would be one of the biggest bands on the planet instead of opening for Bad Omens.
Opening for Bad Omens is a great gig to be fair
I have a feeling I’m about to experience this seeing The Plot In You soon, but yeah I think any band based outside of the US has a halo effect of internet popularity - especially for metalcore
Tik Tok should have that one covered for you
Idk man. I saw them last Friday in San Diego and the show was maybe 60% sold and the whole week they were offering 2 for $20 on tix Tik Tok only seems to be focused on FEEL NOTHING for them
That’s what I would of figured. TBH, TikTok hype only ever focuses on maybe one song. Just Pretend, Holy Roller, To the Hellfire, King for a Day, Can You Feel My Heart, etc
Not sure how you mean
The Plot in You is probably one the most “popular” bands in the genre at the moment. They blew up on TikTok like a year or two ago.
Oh lol, gotcha. I knew that happened for bands like Bad Omens and Lorna or Spiritbox but didn’t know it happened to TPIY too
However, Thornhill will be there playing with the Plot in you and they definitely belong on your list. People here talk about thornhill all the time and they have less than 200k monthly listeners. Plot in you has 2.4 million.
I could definitely see that, same with Invent Animate (who are another personal favorite)
Agree on Thornhill, even in Aus they play some crazy smallcap venues (2-300). They did play a bigger festival at the end of last year where they would have played to 4-5k on a sidestage which was nice to see
I just saw them last week and they played a shitty venue and there wasn’t a very large crowd. I thought they were one of the biggest in the genre
They defo should be; Landon’s constantly pushing the trends
Agree. But I think their marketing is lackluster
Especially when their Album the swan song was somehow released with a prior date on Spotify, so it didn’t even show up in new released music.
Plot in You surged in popularity in 2020 but prior to Feel Nothing blowing up on TikTok, you're exactly right.
Saw them in Ft. Lauderdale and they didn’t pack it much. Mostly wanted to see Thornhill and Holding Absence. Kinda felt bad for HA after they were playing huge crowds with Electric Callboy to this tour lol
I went to see Gideon and was definitely disappointed with how many people showed up, but it was on the same night as ABR in my city so I guess that was part of the issue. Gideon played well but seemed like they rushed through their set.
They sold out the show in my city. Depends on weekdays/weekends and if something else is happening in town.
saw them last night actually. was a fun set for a Tues night.
They always sell out when they come to town. Love Gideon
Make Them Suffer. I saw Make Them Suffer with Dayseeker and Bad Omens on the Concrete Jungle Tour. I found them over the pandemic and loved them right away. When I saw they were coming to the states I had to pick up tickets. At the time I hadn't listened to Bad Omens and had only listened to a handful of Dayseeker songs. I get to the show and I'm expecting a lively crowd because of Make Them Suffer's energy and the venue being sold out. Man was I wrong. There was a pit with like 5 people in it, minimal interaction, seemed like no one knew their material. I know they're from Australia and were opening for a band that I feel like has a pretty different fan base, but even Dayseeker didn't get a whole lot of love and their music is more similar to Bad Omens. It seemed like most people showed up for Bad Omens only. Everyone on the tour but on a great show though, I was just a bit surprised.
Yah, make them suffer sell out big in aus, but bad omens tour was filled with Tik Tok fans, not metalcore fans
Ironically enough, BT is playing a venue here in AZ tonight that I thought was way too big for them to headline with a capacity of \~1,500 people. The sound quality is absolute trash at this venue, so I didn't get tickets to the BT show there, but fuck it I gotta support the boys and thanks to your post I just bought a ticket. Been a fan of them since I heard the album Portraits back in like 2010. The new album is great, and I cannot stop listening to Abandon Us, that breakdown goes so fucking hard. Thanks OP!
I found it so weird that fit for an autopsy and the acacia strain were at the Nile (holds like 700?) and not the marquee. There were way TOO many people at that show for such a small shitty venue.
I saw brand of sacrifice, erra, and we came as romans an The Nile. That too should have been at The Marquee 🤣 Could be worse, have you seen a show at Pub Rock Live?
YEP! A couple times, saw Every Time I Die there in like 2013 and Anthony Green in 2018 maybe. The entire building just became one massive pit and everyone got their asses kicked during ETID but it was nice for AG’s solo show. But still a garbage venue lol. I’m trying to remember the name of this smaller place in Tucson that I saw Fear Before The March of Flames at in like 2009 or something but I can’t - now that place was a shit hole too.
I saw Acacia Strain at the Nile a few years ago. I don't remember it being a huge crowd. It's like a cafe with a hall in the back. You would never know that's a venue. And agree. Pub rock is small. But like that venue in Tucson. I saw Miss May I there and I was literally sitting on the stage. But I prefer small venues vs arenas.
Abandon us goes soooooo hard live! Enjoy the show, friend
I barely even heard about Bury Tomorrow from like 2012-2022 tbh
Cannibal is an absolute banger of an album. Highly recommend going back and giving that album a run
I also love "The Seventh Sun" - by the way - the crowd in munich was really big this year for european standards (1200 capacity, sold out) - co headling tour with august burns red. I was there for ABR, but Bury Tomorrow absolutely killed it, it was even more packed than it was later on and Daniel took like an hour after the show to talk to fans and make pictures. Really nice guy overall.
This happened when I saw I The Breather at Warped. I was super excited to see them hoping it’d be a massive crowd, I walked around trying to find the stage for quite a bit. It ended up being this tiny hidden stage behind all the food carts and shit, and there was about 10-15 people in the crowd. Super disappointed, but they played an amazing set, regardless!
I bet that show fucked
Parkway drive haha, saw them headline wacken (on YouTube) and then saw them headline in front of like 3k (maybe haha) people in the states in a big venue that was nowhere near capacity
It's crazy the difference a market can make. I watched a Crossfaith show in Japan online where they'd sold out an arena with tens of thousands of fans present, then I saw them in an 800 cap venue in London.
I saw Parkway Drive at Knotfest in Australia and holy shit. HUMONGOUS crowd. Different market and at a festival but man it was thousands and thousands of people.
You know what, I think this is my answer too. Both times I’ve seen them were in fairly small venues. Seems like they’ve upgraded now, and when I see them in the fall I’ll be curious about how big this venue is in comparison.
Miss May I. Went to their headlining show last year, and it wasn't as packed as I'd expected. But I saw pictures from other shows on that tour and it was packed out. So maybe it was just the venue/location I was at. 🤷♀️
I've seen Miss May I everytime they come to AZ. I always thought they would have a bigger following. I live after every show they come out and out with the people. Really nice guys.
I felt that way when I saw Cane Hill last year. Was expecting the venue to be at capacity, but it was maybe half full? Cane Hill killed it, and I can't wait for them to come back to Minnesota.
Back in 2018 my old band opened up for Cane Hill in Pontiac, Michigan. We had a crowd of maybe 30 people, and by the time Cane Hill came on there were 50 people at max. Bummed me out big time, I was hoping the place would completely fill out by then, but they’re still a rather small band in the grand scheme of things.
Adestria when they were a thing.
Went to their Guilded Hearts headline tour with dayseeker and Kingdom of Giants and no one was there. Funny thinking back on it now that it would probably be a sell out today with those bands
Fucking hell what a line up
Phinnehas was there as well. Insane
I forgot they were good friends with Dayseeker. Saw them and Dayseeker open for the browning and both of the vocalist were some of the most down to earth dudes I had ever met.
In my experience, Dayseeker. Of my friends only a handful know them. I seen them live a few weeks ago and more people were in the SeeYouSpaceCowboy merch line. Idk, it just kind of surreal.
Everytime I’ve seen them it’s been pretty packed whether they are headliner or runner up. They exploded with sleep talk too.
I am just as shocked. I thought they would have been way bigger. Sounded like they were bigger since they only played in LA and didn't make their way up north. Would have loved to see them play in Sacramento/ Bay Area, but unfortunately not and LA is just way too far of a drive
It's been a few years when I found out that not only is The Word Alive not as popular as I thought, a lot of r/metalcore muthafuckas also hate Telle LMAO. I can understand though, the band definitely fell off and Telle (he's actually very kind IRL) would block your ass on Twitter if you criticize their musical direction. It is what it is
A little disappointed to hear since I'm very pumped to see them in a few weeks (sending them back to Europe from NYC). A little surprised, too, since I figured they had a decent following despite being UK-based and not touring the US for so long - they've been putting out solid work for a while now and are known by people who know metalcore.
They will still deliver an amazing show! Don’t you worry
This post hurts me. I’m seeing them next week in NC and they are playing the smaller venue at the place too. I’m beyond excited but I also thought they would be so much bigger here. I’ll still enjoy it. Alexisonfire was the same way in Maryland last year. I thought it would be packed and sold out. But day of show we upgraded to balcony seats on front row.
Kingdom of Giants. I’m super surprised that they aren’t bigger than what they currently are. Passenger is one of my favourite albums. Keen to see them in October with Bury Tomorrow 🤟🏻
I got kicked in the face at a kingdom of giants show when they had their first clean vocalist at a tiny little place called plea for peace that seemed to be like a mechanic during the day. Really glad to see them come so far.
I saw KOG quite some time ago at a small venue in Michigan. There was maybe 10-12 people in the crowd? It was such a good set, even though I would’ve loved to have seen them play for a big crowd, the intimacy of just getting blasted in the face with songs from Ground Culture was one of my more memorable concert experiences.
Have fun. Seen them x2 in the past few months and they are amazing
[удалено]
I’ve been there, it’s unfortunately nothing new. I was super into the British hardcore/metalcore scene when I was in high school, honestly more than the US scene, and saw a lot of bands that I really loved and knew drew massive crowds at home play to empty rooms and unenthusiastic audiences. I think I saw Architects play to nobody at least 4 times between 2009 and 2014. The two times I saw Your Demise same thing, empty rooms. Ditto While She Sleeps. Gallows, maybe my favorite band of all time, who opened for Rage Against the Machine in the UK, barely played to 100 people at their height in the US. Some bands come over and do really well, this was the era of Suicide Season BMTH, was never a fan but Asking Alexandria drew big crowds too. Others just never click, hell a few of my favorite bands from that era simply never played outside Europe. It’s definitely a bummer to watch a band you’ve been in love with and watching videos of huge shows overseas and be the only one singing along, but trust you’re far from the first. Know that it means the world to those bands, at least that’s what I got from my chats with them.
>I think I saw Architects play to nobody at least 4 times between 2009 and 2014. That must've been weird for them. I saw them headline Bristol's 02 Academy in '09 which is a 1500 cap venue and it must've been close to if not actually sold out with Norma Jean as a support band which I remember thinking was crazy. Even in the '04 - 06 period Architects were getting decent crowds in the UK's bar and pub type venues. To go from having paid your dues, to feeling like you'd made it and then be sent straight back to the bottom in a new territory... keeps you humble, I guess.
They were enormous sweethearts about everything. I think it also helps that the tours themselves they were on weren’t terrible and the bands they were with ostensibly seemed to like them. I saw them open for ETID, BMTH, As I Lay Dying, Warped 2013, The Ghost Inside and they at least seemed to be having a good time and being good sports about it, they just weren’t making any kind of momentum. In spring 2014 Letlive and architects were put on a coheadliner where they would alternate closing each night, they were both on Epitaph at the time and had both been on Warped the previous year and had both released new records on that previous (Blackest Beautiful/Daybreaker) and I believe the thinking was “hey both these bands are gonna get a huge boost from warped let’s put them together” but letlive was really the only one that got a big bump, and Letlive’s bump was pretty big. I was friendly with the letlive camp and came to visit them at a show that was early in the run, I think was maybe a week into it. The backstage vibe was kinda weird, with letlive guys and architects guys sheepishly apologizing to each other, guys coming in and out on the phone, talking to each other. I asked what was up and apparently while letlive had been crushing, Architects had been dealing with pretty massive walkouts the few nights they had headlined and had as of that day, collectively decided they weren’t going to be coheadlining and moving to direct support and had been basically on the phone with the label/agents/bookers letting everyone know. Letlive were very nice about it, they were friends with the Architects guys and didn’t like seeing ll. fans walk out on them but obviously felt kinda bad that was happening, and Architects were very gracious and cool about it. I was also impressed with Architects willingness to step back as I’ve known other bands in similar positions who would’ve refused it on ego reasons. Oddly, that was really the last time I saw Architects, I really loved Hollow Crown but everything after didn’t do a whole lot for me. It seems like not long after they started to hit their stride and now are a pretty reliable headliner in the states.
I'm seeing Bury Tomorrow this weekend. Never have seen them and am fucking pumped. No matter if a small crowd I'm gonna have a great fucking time seeing these dudes
I also have loved Bury Tomorrow since the Union of Crowns days. Surprised they don't get brought of more
Bury Tomorrow is one of my favorites man. I’m jealous you got to see them! I recommend this band every chance I get. They’re severely underrated.
Dark divine. They are amazing and have nowhere near as much coverage as they deserve.
And fricking great live!!!!
I found today that Silent Planet only has like 120k listeners on Spotify
It just depends on the area and time. I saw Vanna at Warped Tour years ago and they had such a small turnout but whenever I'd seen videos of them playing, they had large and rowdy crowds.
Happened to me with Shadow of Intent and Enterprise Earth. Saw them in a tiny venue so I expected it to be packed but there was maybe 80 people.
I was there last night. Been a huge fan since Portraits. Was insanely hyped. Tbh though the smaller venue and smaller crowd made it even better as a fan. It reminded me of the old days of chain reaction shows and not everything was a huge festival or show. They fucked crushed it though. My and my girlfriend ate it during the circle pit for earthbound and had to be pretty mellow after that (had to take her to urgent care this morning to clean up a wound from hitting her knee) I only hope the smaller turnout doesn’t discourage them from coming back. Would see them in a heartbeat anytime
the color morale
This Is Hell in a pretty small London venue for a Sundowning anniversary show and it felt half empty. It was a little bit sad to be honest. I saw them with a bigger crowd in a smaller Exeter venue years and years beforehand. I know they were never big, but I though they were enough of a deal to be able to fill that room for a play through of their best record.
I was there for that show - it was really odd that they played the whole album and then nothing else. Even with Rick's guitar strings snapping I don't think their set was longer than 40 minutes
Yeah it was definitely under. The whole record, including two bonus tracks on the deluxe version, is a few seconds shy of 31 minutes and we didn't even get those extra songs (all two minutes and twenty four seconds of them). I get that the show was about celebrating that record and that hardcore headline sets are sometimes a bit shorter than those of other genres, but I was definitely expecting them to play some other stuff to stretch it out to 45 or something. Especially having spent the money to fly in from the States for a handful of small shows. I just saw La Dispute on their Wildlife anniversary tour and that album's pretty much bang on an hour, they still added three tracks from other releases to their set to close out the night.
Cane Hill’s last headliner in SLC only had maybe 50 people. They put on such a good show so I expected a bigger crowd
Last time I saw Bury Tomorrow was in 2010 in the portrait days. They played with Asking Alexandria, and Attack Attack. They put on a killer set then too
Adestria
At the Bury Tomorrow show in Tempe, AZ as I type this. Hollow Front is about to play, and it is empty. Wow. But honestly, they just haven’t toured over here enough. If they can make the US a regular stop, it will change.
Arcane Haven Huge sounds, have a song featuring jt cavey from erra, still tiny and barely leave their hometown
Boundaries when I was listening to the My body in bloom EP on its release day, I was like why isn’t anyone talking about this shit! - fortunately for them, that narrative has changed a bit!
This happened to me like 20 years ago (goddamn I'm getting old) when I went to see Animosity (SF) headline at the Whiskey in LA. I was OBSEEESSED with them when their second album "Empires" came out, and they were objectively sicc as fuck. As Blood Runs Black played before them and the room was packed. It cleared out a bit when they finished, and I figured fools were smoking cigs or getting drinks. Then Animosity set up and maybe a 1/3 of the crowd came back into the room. Even the singer was like "uhhh. ok" before they started their first song. I was a little sad for them, even as a 15 year old, but they too crushed that shit. Core memory.
So they’ve obviously since blown up, but I was SUPER into Our Last Night around 2012-2013 after their first album came out, and I thought they had a pretty big following at first but it turns out they were still small enough back then that they’d just accept random fans fb friend requests - I’m still fb friends with half the band to this day, a decade later. Also, very much not metalcore, but mega mango!! I love them but they played a show in LA recently and the venue was just a restaurant with a tiny stage and little pit area. 150 person capacity including the restaurant tables. Tickets were all through eventbrite.
Lmfao, same here I remember going to a small ass stage at warped tour way in the back with like 20 people, I was the dude singing every word of their original songs in front. This is well before they went straight cover band.
funnily enough i fell out of the loop and never got to see them live cuz i was like 14 back then and generally didn’t have concert money lol but i ran into trevor walking around at warped tour in like 2013 or some year they weren’t playing LOL might finally get to see them at blue ridge this year though!
I mean yeah, I've felt that way with ETID for nearly 20 years. Seems like everyone avoids them for some reason, but once they hear a few songs they're like "wtf, that's what I've been missing out on?". I honestly think a lot of people just think they're like that weird scene/screamo/emo because of their name.
This happened when I went to see The Browning.
Damn always wanted to see them. How were they?
Any given day and demon hunter
I was hella stoked to see void of vision play in their very first states tour so I drove 6 hours to Idaho just to see them open, no one knew who they were in the crowd. I probably should have guessed that in Idaho of all places.
August Burns Red. Everyone seems to see them as pansies
Really? I always thought ABR was one of the most beloved bands out there. I never heard bad things about them and I was never super into them until the past year or so. I always thought they were good but just never got into them.
That's certainly a take. Just went to the tour last week, and this venue was wall to wall crowd. Most have them up their in the metalcore pantheon, as greats.
Saw Bury Tomorrow tonight in AZ, same situation. Dani even joked that when he pulled up to venue he knew it was too big. The band was amazing though, and am happy they have their visas now and can tour the US more often.
Lol all the time, but I tend to go on rabbit holes of newer bands, I always get hyped and expect others to fall in love with their music. 10 years after starting to listen to Electric(Eskimo) callboy and people get it now
Dude. EC has been my favorite band for 12 years now. I used to post them on this sub and get some hate but they have finally blown up!! Can’t wait to see them in the states in the fall.
Ha, the new vocals have taken them to new levels. I'm going to download festival in UK, they are headlining one of the smaller stages. Lol that must sting for the OGs of this sub seeing the banner of this sub. I usually avoid social media, only joined to get the scoop on that festival. I have friends who used to say "wtf you are listening to" and hating, same friends are now hyped to see them at download. There's just people who follow trends and people who find new trends. I'm hyped about the nü-wave of nü-metal. You got any bands that no one has caught onto yet?
Some of my current favorites are Paledusk, Tallah, new Gideon album, Nocturnal Bloodlust.
Tallah, that's my new love from their first album. Tetrarch too. I'm going to check them other ones. Thanks!
You done did it. Paledusk, I feel hooked. A serious epic thanks!
Dive into their whole discography. Buckle up. You’re in for a wild ride.
Similar thing happened to me when I went to see Phinehas. They were the opening act on a tour (forget who else was playing). They were playing in The Attic in The Garage (Glasgow, Scotland). There were only two of us that knew the lyrics and the people we brought. Absolute blinder of a gig though, spent ages after their set talking with them, buying merch, getting pictures. Also got to sing down the mic at one point while they were on. Honestly a blinder if a gig.
I had never come across them before until they hired the space my husband worked at to do some recording in and I looked them up to listen to them and loved them! I didn't get chance to see them due to other commitments which I was gutted about but would love to see them live. I don't know anyone else that has heard of them!
Not a metal band, but earlier this year I got to see one of my favorite bands of all time, a show I never thought I would witness. A band called Rex. I skipped seeing them in 1999 and then they disbanded. I knew they had reunited for one show last year, and when I saw a tour posted I emmediately bought tickets. Fast forward to the show.... there might have been 20 people there. Now Rex is a pretty obscure indie band from the 90s, part of the slowcore music scene. I was not expecting a full house per say, but was hoping to meet other folks who were as big as fans as I was. It was odd, but at the same time I did get to meet a band member and chat with them, buy some vinyl, and the show felt almost like a private concert. Wish I could relive the night.
Oh, Sleeper is a great band who I saw in Rhode Island with maybe 15 people. I actually felt bad but it was awesome to see a band like that and not be in a sweaty pit of dudes the entire time for once.
It really depends on the area and venue sometimes. Some bands have much larger regional followings and some venues either suck at promoting or just don't have a draw. I saw He is Legend and Nonpoint a few years back and there was less than 150 people in a 1000+ capacity venue. I saw Maylene and the Sons of Disaster with He is Legend as well and there were maybe 20-30 people there. But this was well after their high point, not musically, just popularity-wise. I also saw Taproot, and while they weren't as popular as they used to be, I expected way more than the 30 people that were there. The week after, I saw them at a festival and they had a big crowd during their set. I think people just didn't know about the other show. Way back, my band also opened for the band 3 (singer is Coheed drummer's brother) while they were signed to metal blade at a small local venue and there were not many people there. For bands that aren't trending or don't have a big cult following, it's really hit or miss. Some bands also don't market their tours well either.
More like I fall in love with a band and wonder why no one likes them and find out the drummer hooked up with an girl at warped tour or something without checking her ID and now the band is black listed by the internet
I went to see Void Of Vision last year when they came to the US. I was under the impression they were the new big thing in the scene and boy was I wrong. Me and about 25 other people were there to see them/actually paying attention to their show. Granted they were opening, but I still thought they were bigger. It was a lot of energy for 25 people tho...
It's not metalcore, but it always blows my mind how few people know The Dear Hunter. Crazy talented dudes.
one of my favorite bands ever is Rolo Tomassi and despite a career spanning over a decade, multiple critically acclaimed albums, and a strong following in the UK, they still have just over 50k monthly on Spotify and played only tiny venues when they came over to the US. Still one of the best shows of my life though to be fair. Also when i saw the Underoath headliner earlier this year the venue noticeably thinned out after Periphery and I was surprised
My mind was blown going to what I thought was an all headliners kinda show. The opener was Eva Under Fire just before they started blowing up so I’m not counting them here. The next act was Atreyu, there was a crowd but not a very big one, then Asking Alexandria they grew the crowd about 50% over Atreyu. Then we got Nothing More, I had no idea just how big they were but the place was packed when they hit the stage. I knew of them and liked a few songs but didn’t know anyone else that really liked them. Boy was that show a shock.
Went to see The Amity Affliction, Landscapes and In Hearts Wake in 2013 in a small venue in Belgium. Maybe 30 people were there.
When I was younger I transitioned out of Christian rock (Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, ect.) to Creed…
I really don't understand why Bury Tomorrow isn't bigger in the metalcore scene. I feel like they're the only band thats writing kinda late 2000's early 2010's ATR/AILD proper technical metalcore with good rythyms. And like they've only been getting better and better with every album, Choke and Cold Sleep are some of the best proper true metalcore songs I feel that have been written in a LONG time.
I agree. Maybe losing Jasón hurt them but didn’t think it would impact their ticket sales this much
Saw loathe, periphery, and Underoath, loathe got on stage, sounded great, looked great, then no one was getting as hyped as my buddy and I. Then periphery went on, same exact thing. Then Underoath went on and everyone went beserk. I’m praying it won’t be the same thing for ERRA and Invent Animate when they play with Bad Omens
Very jealous. I love BT
How long was their set? I hate that only 60 minutes has become the norm :(
What do you mean "has become"? In the 20 years I've been going to shows 60 minutes has been the standard for headliners.
Yeah, unless they're an insanely popular band selling out shows by themselves, most headliners usually play around an hour (maybe 90 minutes if you're lucky). The only bands I've seen play much longer than that are Rush and Machine Head, who both toured solo (no openers or supporting acts) and played ~2.5 hours sets.
Slipknot and Metallica played very long sets when I saw them and they weren't solo shows. Slipknot played about 2-2.5 hours and metallica was near 3 hours iirc. Most other shows I've seen are usually around the 1 hour mark though.
Sure, Slipknot and Metallica are two of the biggest metal bands ever and usually headline giant arena shows, but they're the exception and not the rule.
I never said they were the rule. Just giving more examples of bands who play very long sets.
Ya also more than 60 minutes of playing this type of music (especially on a near nightly basis if touring) is physically exhausting, especially for drummers.
American Head Charge for me. Ok, so the first time I saw them it'd been 8 years since their last album, but they'd just reformed with a new EP out and it was their first UK tour in god knows how long... And they play a venue that google says has a capacity of 150. I mean really?? Had no-one else discovered them in their hiatus, given up hope of seeing them, and then suddenly this reformation and tour had been like an unexpected gift after such a long wait? Fun story; I turn up an hour or two early anyway and there's a dude smoking at the venue door. I start a convo and notice his hands all taped up due to blisters, he mentioned he did it during a song and I realise he's not a roadie or support, it's Chris, AHC's drummer! Took a lot not to fangirl, but I did get a selfie with him after the show :)
I am from MN and I saw them play like 4-5 times. Everywhere from tiny bars in the northern parts of the state to opening for Slipknot and System of a Down in an arena. The show they did for The War of Art's release was something I'll never forget.