I must admit, as a 90s lady with some pretty predictable teenage musical loves, I find myself tuning more often into the emo sounds that trace their roots back to the same time to which I trace my own. That said, it doesn’t mean I don’t love the newer version of the genre that younger bands tend to tap into–after all, I had my days of listening to way too much Taking Back Sunday too. So I was 30 at the time, so what? This night of emotionally-driven melodic post-hardcore bands, coming to The Camel to brighten up your Monday night, should actually show up that generational divide for the false dichotomy it truly is, as the bands on this bill split the difference between the two eras with aplomb. Which is to say that 20 year old emo kids can stand alongside 40 year old emo adults at this one without anybody feeling too awkward.
The Concussion Theory has been working away at the fringes of the RVA scene for a few years now, and while they haven’t been able to transcend their underrated status, it’s not because they don’t have killer tunes. Their contemplative, mid-paced emotional sound full of complex guitar leads and heartfelt vocals will certainly win over anyone who hears it, so it’s really time for more people to start paying attention. The Blue Sky Disaster are a newer arrival with a stronger post-hardcore edge, complete with screamed rather than sang vocals, but they still tug at one’s heartstrings. Vermont’s Suburban Samurai may be third on the bill, but they are easily the equal of the two local bands overtop of them, with their speedier beats and higher-energy riffage bringing in that mid-2000s post-Fall Out Boy vibe–always nice to hear. Local openers We Call This Courage are in somewhat the same vein, with if anything a slightly stronger hardcore influence. Covering the whole emo spectrum in under four hours–not bad.
