Show Review - Outbreak, Soul Control, Opus Noir, Nightwatch - 11/15/09 @ Knickerbockers

I intended this show to be like any other that I have attended and shoot the bands. Instead I learned a hard lesson... check your gear before you leave for the show. By the time I got to the venue the first local band Nightwatch was in mid-set. I quickly tried to get my camera set up to shoot but I couldn't get it to power up. By the time I changed out 3 different sets of batteries I came to find out that taking any show photos was out of the question. By the time I was putting all my gear back into my pack Nightwatch was finishing up their set. Nightwatch are form Omaha, Nebraska and they play a slightly down tuned, harder edged style of hardcore. I think they are pretty good at the style especially for being a young band. But guys... a Reign Supreme cover? I hope with time these guys can find a more original style, but at least they play pretty tight live and they sounded pretty good on Knickerbockers sound stage. I spent the rest of the show up front at the stage and watched the second band play, also from Omaha. Opus Noir play a heavy modern d-beat inspired brand of hardcore and featured their new singer Austin. This was probably the 3rd time I've seen these guys and they get tighter every show. Opus Noir is a band that greatly benefits from playing on a loud sound stage, and they played a near flawless set. Although there wasn't much movement from the crowd, everyone seemed to enjoy their performance. Soul Control from Providence, RI played next and they were the main reason why I wanted to go to the show. After seeing Soul Control at Ghost House just a month before, I was really excited to see them again but playing on the big stage of Knickerbockers. These guys don't disappoint. The band played through what I felt was a fairly short set rocking their heavy groove, post-hardcore styled brand of hardcore played tightly while their vocalist was giving a high energy performance. I really wish I had a working camera for them, but it was fun to watch from up front for a change and hang out with some friends while the bands played. Outbreak played last, and were obviously the crowd favorite for the evening. They played some new songs off the new lp, but when the well known early songs were played, a lot of crowd participation would break out with bursts of sing a longs and plenty of side to side mosh. Outbreak always seems to have a revolving door of members, but the current lineup sure does have an energetic stage presence. Lots of moving about and jumping around throughout that would have made awesome photos. The whole night seemed to go by really fast, and before I knew it the show was over. Overall, it was a pretty good show. All the bands played really well, the turnout wasn't bad and a lot of new faces were in the crowd. Plus, everyone seemed to have a good time. It was pretty fun for me to hang out up front as well. This show happened during the time I spent away from the internet, so it felt really rewarding to just hang out in a fun person to person kind of way. I also learned a valuable lesson: always check your gear before hand. Lesson learned.