Written By James Reza
Live Music Experience
Story of the Year, Silverstein, Origami Angel, and Ally Nicholas
The Bomb Factory, Dallas, TX – August 2, 2026
Don’t call it a throwback.
If you weren’t aware, the spirit of the elder emo is alive and well. More than that, the Myspace-era mall punk scene is experiencing something of a renaissance at the moment, and we’re here for it. It doesn’t feel like a novelty, or a gimmick, and it certainly was never a phase. The Camp Screamo tour takes that mindset on the road, bringing that millennial angst, with maybe a few more gray hairs, across the continent. Newcomer Ally Nicholas opened the show. I first learned about Ally earlier this year when we saw her at the Gazed and Confused fest in Dallas. She clearly works hard and has earned the loyalty of a burgeoning fanbase. Her brooding brand of grungey-shoegazey rock shook the walls of the Bomb Factory, bringing a different kind of energy than I had seen from her before. If you hadn’t heard of her yet, she’s certainly someone to watch.
Origami Angel performs as a duo – singer and guitarist Ryland Heagy and drummer Pat Doherty. They keep popping up as a recommendation from people who know my taste in music, and I was excited for the opportunity to see what they’re all about. They are full of energy, excitement, and catchy melodies. It’s a really interesting thing to see a band on the bill that represents the influence that the headliners have had on this next generation of artists.
The bar is set fairly high for these so-called “legacy” acts from the 2000s and early 2010s who are either still kicking or are getting the band back together. In the last few years, I’ve seen The Used, Norma Jean, MXPX, August Burns Red, Switchfoot, We Came As Romans, and The All American Rejects, just to name a few. All of these bands still have it – they sound as good as ever and are clearly striving to maintain an engaging live performance for as long as possible. Silverstein’s peers are holding the line and carrying the torch. I’m happy to report, Silverstein can hang with the best of them. They sound fresh, exciting, and well-rehearsed, belting out timeless anthems like “My Heroine” and “Massachusetts,” alongside some of their newer material that holds up with their best-known bangers. Vocalist Shane Told hits basically every note he hit all those years ago, and guitarist Josh Bradford commands the stage with the fire and energy that would rival kids half his age. They are tight, dynamic, and purely electric. They have an exceptional talent for engaging audiences, inciting sing-alongs the likes of which I’ve never heard.
Story of the Year closed out the night, bringing a raucous vigor that was infectious as it was resolute. They carry with them a certain amount of sentimentality that feels less like a longing for days gone by and more of a gratitude for an exciting journey. This is most apparent on their passionate performance of “2005,” accompanied by a video montage of some of their earliest days as a band. Performing cuts from their entire quarter-century career, SOTY blazed through their time slot as if it were no time at all, even after pausing to celebrate guitarist Ryan Phillips’s birthday. With powerful, lively performances like this one, it’s no wonder why SOTY has managed to solidify themselves as irreplaceable in the emo landscape, years after they first established relevance.
No moment, over the course of the entire night, felt sad or contrived. Nothing seemed overtly nostalgic, and nothing felt manipulative. Every band on the bill genuinely felt like a current and relevant one, just some with a deep catalog and a meaningful longevity. Best of all, though, is the feeling that bands like Silverstein and Story of the Year still have years of great music left in them.
