“Come,” he says, with one hand grasping his coffee mug & the other clenching his microphone like & knight wielding a blade before battle. The main house lights start to dim & a swell of anxious cheering fills the room.
“Come,” once more as if to ask a favor. The music fades out & the inhabitants of Club Nokia grow restless.
“Come!” he shouts his plea one last time & in a matter of seconds, Anthony Green, the knight before the battle, rallies the rest of his band of warriors, known more commonly as Circa Survive, together on the stage. The lights go black for only a moment & return to existence at full blast, showering all onlookers in a light as blinding as the two moons of Tatooine. My vision goes white & my ears are filled with the incoherent screams produced by the sea of faceless bodies behind me. The lights start to lessen in intensity & a silhouette forms of a man & a microphone. Suddenly, a voice breaks through the discord as the silhouette leaps into the air, as if to take flight, exclaiming his war call: “Leave out the meaning this time!” His band joins him promptly on the battlefield with full instrumentation to back the angelic voicings of their leader. The lights transition into different patterns & as the band continues to play, all spectators watch in awe as we let tensions evolve.
The crowd at Club Nokia, on the evening of November 29, 2014, consisted of an eclectic collection of beards & band-tees. Circa Survive, on tour supporting Descensus, their first release with Sumerian Records, brought along some friends for the ride that might have played a part in the evening’s subcultural diversity. Opening the night was a responsibility bestowed upon the Baltimore locals, Pianos Become the Teeth. Pianos delivered their ambient, yet aggressive, breed of post-rock, fronted by the now sans-screams Kyle Durfey. The transition slot before Circa Survive was held by Kingston, PA natives, Title Fight. Fronted by Jamie Rhoden & Ned Russin, Title Fight performed their signature melodic breath of punk rock to keep energies stirring before Circa Survive.
For a band like Circa Survive, one that pumps out solid track after solid track, I can imagine it to be a rather difficult task organizing a setlist. It became evident, however, that these fellas are well-versed in satisfying their fans. Their set was perfectly balanced between the old gems & the new classics, touching upon all five of their past releases. The singalongs & bursts of group swaying were plentiful & carried even into the balcony section of Club Nokia. The lights danced with the 3D projections that mutated on a screen behind the band, taking the crowd through the surreal corners of the multiverse. After a sixteen-song intergalactic war, the boys brought us back from battle with a one-song encore performance of “Get Out” to finish off the night.
The band leaves the crowd in the same manner as they arrived & in that last fleeting moment, we disconnect like this is the end.
Watch Circa Survive’s Music Video for Schema below:
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