Live Music Experience
ERRA – Cure North America Tour
With Novelists, Void of Vision, and Make Them Suffer
May 4, 2024 – Southside Music Hall, Dallas, TX
Annoyingly often, when I sit down to write one of these, I make too many cliché attempts to connect a live music event to some sort of philosophical, existential truth that may or may not have anything to do with why you actually clicked on the article. You should cut me some slack – you know as well as I do that concerts can be such genuinely transcendent occasions that they can make you think about those kinds of things. For us here at IUF, this was a show so full of artists that are meaningful to us that it was one of those kinds of occasions.
Everyone has their own set of circumstances that lead them to open a special place in their hearts for an artist. In 2020, during the summer of quarantine, some of my only truly fond memories are of driving with my brother Sonny (Reza, also of IUF) to get coffee from a drive-thru, not too close to home so we can stay out longer, and blasting Make Them Suffer’s 2020 album How to Survive a Funeral. That record became the soundtrack to the eventual acceptance that we will all pull through, that the world might not end, and that there may someday again be some version of normalcy. The last time MTS came stateside, logistics didn’t work out for us to be able to catch them.
You’re probably not really here for a journal entry, but it’s also pretty poetic that the venue to house this show was Southside Ballroom. The last time Sonny and I were there together, we were hit by a truck, and I spent the rest of the night and the next morning strapped to a backboard, in and out of CT scans and MRIs, checking for spinal injuries and concussions, and then the next afternoon at the doctor with Sonny getting his neck X-rayed.
Every band on the May 4th bill, it would seem, was working to one-up each other’s hype level. Novelists opened the show, tearing furiously through a half hour of some of the most energetic metalcore I’ve ever heard. Incorporating pop elements, electronics, and occasionally bluesy-shred-style guitar solos (played by TWO incredibly virtuous players), you’d be hard-pressed to find a metal band with more boogie than Novelists. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t mention the murmurs from the crowd around me, commenting on the artistic choice of lighting during the Novelists set. So many of the people around me expressed disappointment in not being able to see the band through the fog and backlighting, especially with the rare proficiency of guitar playing coming from the stage. “If you’re going to be that good, please let me see it,” one concert goer said within an earshot of me. It didn’t bother me as much as it bothered him, but I see his point.
It’s been nearly two full years since the last time we saw Void of Vision, and they haven’t let up. It’s hard to imagine the level of dedication and passion it takes to maintain their particular brand and level of energy, intensity, and personality night after night. Frontman Jack Bergin, who, by the way, is as sweet and personable as anyone you’ll meet in any metal band, is still the same powerhouse of spiritedness and charisma that I remembered from a couple of years before, but shows noticeable musical growth as a vocalist. Void of Vision is one of the most exciting bands you’re likely to see right now, and they are leaders of the pack in building hype.
I don’t get teary-eyed often during concerts, but Make Them Suffer has what it takes to put the lump in my throat. The buzz about this Perth, Australia quintet is well justified, as they possess all the components of being arguably the best outfit modern metalcore has to offer. They have all the aggression, technical prowess, and polish of the best bands doing it right now, plus integration of mesmerizingly beautiful keys and melodies that induce a doozy of a case of goosebumps. I think vocalist Sean Harmanis belongs in the conversation about the best vocalists in metal with all of the viral juggernauts like Will Ramos and Alex Terrible. Speaking of Alexes, new MTS keyboardist and vocalist Alex Reade delivers live, in case you were wondering. This was truly one of the most enjoyable and emotional live music experiences in my 25+ years of going to shows, and they were only on stage for thirty minutes. And, as if we needed another reason to love Make Them Suffer, they were nice enough to grant us an interview before the show (please check it out), but bassist Jaya Jeffery had to skip it so that he could catch the theatrical re-release of The Phantom Menace before jumping on stage.
Finally, Erra took the stage and proved why they are one of the most successful metalcore bands of the present day. Finding what might be the best balance I’ve ever seen between theatricality and down-to-earth accessibility, Erra played a career-spanning set that catered to long-time fans and newcomers to the family alike. Banger after banger, Erra shows that they know how to lean into the best parts of their own songwriting when they perform, and it makes for a helluva party.
The best part of this show was how much it made me feel like my younger self, going to some of my first shows. Since that weekend, I’ve listened to almost no music besides these four artists. I was able to leave the venue carrying the excitement of the event with me. This is a tour package that gets at all the places in your psyche and in your heart that reminds you why you like live music in the first place.
Cure America tour wraps up June 2nd in New York, and if you’re able to catch a date, you should make the effort. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and catch any of these bands whenever you can.
