#theholydark

@gloriousxdarkness​

             Faith doesn't bother catching up to Elektra. Content to let her sometimes companion blaze the trail ahead so that she's got a moment to look up at the rafters. A church is a building, after all, and she's been in enough nests to know that any manner of things can hide high on beams and in corners like gargoyles ready to pounce.

Her eyes catch a glint and she barely turns, glancing over her shoulder as discreetly as she can so as not to spook whatever might be watching them --- whatever turns out to be nothing. A sparkle of moonlight from the partially caved-in roof above popping across the surface of rainwater that's collected itself in a marble and brass stoup meant for holy water. Doesn't take her more than a moment to figure it out and start to stilt on after Elektra in long, slow gate, "We? What’s all this frickin’ ‘we’ jazz? Yeah. We're not slaying anything, Chicah. You're headin' back to town while I deck these halls to dust. Real talk."

A ‘New State of Mind’ was discovered last week as Night Riots came out of hibernation and hit the stage for the first time in over a year. This tour ushered in the release of the 3rd record under the same name just an hour before the band walked out to greet fans in San Francisco at the first show of the tour. 

Gentle in sound but impactful in content, The Holy Dark (aka John Miller) is starting out each night of the tour with their distinct emo/folk sound. Although the project is the outlier of the tour in terms of genre, it fits right in when it comes to sincerity and quality. On top of empowered music, Miller also holds what may just be my favorite on stage banter that I have ever heard at a show, so needless to say, these shows start off strong. The moments during the show that The Holy Dark fills with bittersweet songs and the friendly interactions shared at merch afterwards holds many of the memories I treasure most from this tour.

As soon as Moontower walked onto the stage, the energy in the room shifted from emotional to electric. Light and sound are masterfully manipulated by the LA 3-piece during their 30 minute set- truly showcasing why the band is known as one of the most buzzworthy live bands in the LA music scene. Their set features the band’s debut EP, “Season 1: The Ballad of William Hollywood” in full as well as some highly anticipated new tracks yet to have a release date. The crowd interaction with this band is through the roof, and this extra engagement seems to be paying off as everyone in the room can’t help but smile and laugh alongside all 3 of the musicians.

The LA date of tour also featured Orange County natives, Armors. The band has a long tour history with Night Riots, but hadn’t shared a stage with them in nearly 4 years- meaning this show packed an extra punch of nostalgia. Their most recent record “Who’s Gonna Love Me (When I’m Not Young)” has proven itself to be one of the most powerful releases Armors has ever put out in a live setting, improving their stage presence by ten fold. The band rides a similar wavelength to Night Riots as friends and musicians which caused the wave to carry ecstatic energy over the entire crowd for the back half of the show.

Night Riots has stepped right back into their element on stage, not missing a note (or old song) in front of their eager fans after their year-long hiatus. Seeing all 5 members of the band cracking smiles and goofing off on stage in the midst of the show reminded everyone in the room why they all love Night Riots so much as musicians and as people. Tracks from “New State of Mind” are sprinkled into the setlist in celebration of the record, but the main focus of the tour seems to be welcoming old fans back to the band’s world. Tracks dating all the way back to their pre-Night Riots band, PK, carry the sense of community that the band is well-known for among fans, making the only thing thicker than the fog in the room the blanket of elation for the hour that the band is on stage. 

Make sure to check out Night Riots, Moontower, and The Holy Dark on the tail end of the “New State of Mind” tour, and follow them all on social media to stay up to date on upcoming shows!

https://theholydarkband.bandcamp.com/

https://thisismoontower.com/

https://www.nightriots.com/