Spirits were high as The Noise Tour kicked off its first show at The Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale, NY. It was also the first show ever at the venue (typically a bar), and attendees seemed to be adjusting to the new surroundings quite well. Every band that night joked to fans, “Are you ready to get nutty?” and they definitely were.
In replacement of You Me At Six, who will be joining the tour in Philadelphia, Sparks The Rescue were added to the first four dates. And the band proved to be greatly deserving of the spot. Starting off with “60 Minutes of Fame,” singer Alex Roy commanded the stage with ease and continued to do so with every song played. This show was one of the first to include new bassist David Pait and he proved to be an excellent addition to the band. The set mainly focused on newer material from The Worst Thing I’ve Been Cursed With, but also included old favorites “My Heart Radio” and “We Love Like Vampires.” The strongest crowd reaction came when the band covered Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” as the whole place erupted into a loud sing along. After a high-energy set, it’s a shame to know the band is not included on the whole tour, as they fit in perfectly.
After some unusual cheering for the songs being played over the speakers between sets, There For Tomorrow took the stage. The band released album The Verge earlier in the year and have recently had songs featured in commercials for Nerf, perhaps gaining them some new fans. The set had a strong mix of old and new, including crowd-favorite “Backbone” and the catchy “Nowhere Blvd.” Singer and guitarist Maika Maile showed the strongest vocal performance of the night as he belted through “Slip Inside (The Barrel of Your Gun)” per a fan request made earlier. Concluding with “Hunt Hunt Hunt” and “A Little Faster,” it was the first time of the night the audience really began moving around.
We Are The In Crowd took a little extra time to set up, but this allowed for a quick breather and time to grab a drink. For a band whose first EP only came out in 2010, We Are The In Crowd’s rise to popularity has been sudden but not surprising. The dual male-female vocals between Tay Jardine and Jordan Eckes are enticing, and the band’s fan-base seems to multiply every time they tour. “Rumor Mill” kicked things off and the band ran swiftly through its set, with a few minor misses. “For The Win” received the best response as Tay asked the audience to sing back, “You’ve got a big mouth and the streets are talking,” in which they happily obliged. One could see the sweat dripping from the crowd, and the stage, as the band finished with “Both Sides Of The Story.”
Finally the time came that the majority of the show-goers were waiting for, and Mayday Parade took the stage. Playing many songs off their self-titled release for the first time, it was impressive that the fans already knew all the words as it has only been out for a little over a week. Single “Oh Well, Oh Well” started things off and sounded just as good live as on the album. The band continued with the very up-beat set, which included the 1-2-3 punch of “When You See My Friends,” “Jamie All Over,” and “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead.” The latter of the three made the crowd go wild and even start a few mosh-pits (which were quickly broken up by security, something this booking company is sadly known for). The venue then felt well over 100 degrees, so it was a very opportune time to take out the piano and slow things down with “Miserable At Best” and “Stay.”
Drummer Jake Bundrick set things back into high gear again with a drum solo leading into “Walk On Water Or Drown.” The heat now seemed to be becoming a problem, as many audience members were seen exiting the crowd and seeking relief. It might be wise for this venue to invest in an air conditioning system for the next show to prevent this from happening. The band continued on though with songs “No Heroes Allowed” and “Kids In Love.” Some might have thought the set had ended when the band walked off stage after “Black Cat,” but in typical fashion they came back out to do an encore. Though the audience was chanting “Three Cheers,” the band said they were asked to play “One Man Drinking Games,”which turned out to be a very rare and nice surprise.
As the show came to a close, attendees were eager to get water and of course some merchandise. All of these bands are known to be extremely fan-accessible and were hanging out ready to talk to and take pictures. Sparks The Rescue even attempted to do an acoustic set outside, but were quickly shuffled away by venue staff halfway through “Hello Mexico.” The night ended all smiles though, as every band on the tour put on a tight, enjoyable set that would leave anybody pleased.
*The Make are also on this tour as the opener, but were missed due to unforeseen circumstances.
