Show Review: Roderik @ Photo City Music Hall, Rochester, New York
Photo City Music Hall in Rochester, New York, is a frequently mentioned venue for fans of alternative music. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing everything from rock shows to metalcore performances. On the evening of February 19, though, I was asked the question: “what if we got it all… in one night?” Six bands — each armed with a 30-minute set and a ton of energy — took to the stage to prove just how fun it could possibly be.
Opening was Arcana, a hard-rock-turned-metalcore outfit hailing from Buffalo. For what is still technically a local act, Arcana came prepared with an impressive variety of originals, debuting its new single “Incendium.” This band is always a joy to interact with and see live, bringing a fantastic level of professionalism and an eclectic — but still coherent — discography.
Next to the stage was Vivify. While not entirely sonically so, if you missed the synchronized stage moves of crabcore, Vivify will certainly excite you. This six-piece metalcore outfit performed an incredibly energetic set, including their latest single “Plaguespreader.” There were cheers every time the band suddenly broke out in synchronized full-body headbanging. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a band split vocal duties between two singers as well, and they managed to do so in an impressively effective manner — neither vocalist felt underutilized, creating a solid blend in sound.
Following soon after was fellow Buffalo act Thorns for Lovers, a new alternative band. Thorns for Lovers blew me away almost immediately, opening with one of the most impressively delivered covers of System of a Down’s “Aerials” I’ve heard thus far. My personal favorite moment was their unplugged cover of Dayseeker’s “Neon Grave.” The band carried itself with so much positivity and skill that it was hard not to enjoy every moment of its performance.
Hollow Kingdom came next, delivering some of the most emotionally-charged metalcore I’ve heard live since Counterparts’ [insert specific song/album]. Songs like “Nothing Left” and “Never There” were heavy, both in sound and in emotional weight. But worry not, the band still kept things energetic and fun. It managed to pull off a fantastic cover of Linkin Park’s “Given Up,” which is a difficult feat to accomplish.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and in this case, that was Loveboxx. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw them bringing out a neon sign during their setup, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Loveboxx brought a sense of playful energy to its set that will go down as some of the most fun and interesting chemistries in alternative music. The band played a good deal off of its Save Me album as well — my favorite track was “Broken.” This set was so fun to watch live.
After a few hours of fantastic music, the headliners took the stage. Within seconds of the first note, the frontman of Roderik was full-on sprinting across the stage. If you think you’ve seen an energetic band, I challenge you to go and see Roderik. The band was a flurry of motion and energy the entire evening, rarely stopping for a break in either music or movement. Sonically, the band came to Photo City with a performance that was studio-level in quality. With a show that bounced from soaring highs to heavy screams, songs like “Let Go” and “Where’d You Go” proved the band’s versatility is more than just a marketing tactic. I wasn’t familiar with Roderik on my way into the show, but I left completely interested in hearing more from them ASAP.
What was most impressive about the evening was the cohesiveness. Despite so many of the artists having such varying influences, genres, and general sounds, the transition between band to band was comfortable enough to keep the audience engaged, but disconnected enough to keep the performance interesting. By the time Roderik came onstage, it felt like the audience had been given a sample of all the influences the headliners drew from in their own performance. From start to finish, every band delivered excellence in performance and stage presence.
