Highly Suspect appeals to the widest range of people; To quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads–they all adore him.”

Indeed, they all turned out for Highly Suspect’s headliner, some for still-undecided-but-probably handsome frontman Johnny Stevens, others for early listening of tracks from the upcoming MCID. Still others arrived to headbang to “My Name Is Human” or other essential tracks. But as a whole, the crowd looked ready for a biker rally and got rowdier as the drinks flowed.

Openers Slothrust have become close friends with Highly Suspect, and it’s not hard to see why. This band rips, and they appealed so much to  the already-gathered crowd. Frontwoman Leah Wellbaum was understated cool and played off a full set of soon-to-be classics. 

But even total love for the opener wouldn’t mask the craziness for the headliner, and shrieks abounded for Highly Suspect. Stevens shredded guitar solos, strutted in his leggings and shorts, and stole the show out from under everyone’s feet. The sold out crowd went wild. 

Check out photos from the show!
Story and photos by Taylor Gilliam