The circle pit pushed the crowd to the edges of Marquee Theatre and still Wage War wanted more. The Manic Tour boasts one of the best heavy lineups of the spring and this traveling show hit Arizona on Tuesday, including nothing,nowhere and Spite.
Backed by deep red lights and plenty of strobes, Spite reminded the crowd why they’re one of the best bands in current hardcore. Vocalist Darius Tehrani put the front row in the splash zone, whipping his wet hair and encouraging the crowd surfing during “Caved In” and “Kill or Be Killed”. Their set was fast, powerful and a violently memorable way to kick off the show.
Emo rapper turned punk rocker nothing,nowhere took the direct support slot on the heels of his latest album’s release. Singer Joe Mulherin pushed through technical difficulties for a set brimming with his typical undercurrent of barely contained rage. His time onstage wasn’t as brutal as Spite’s but the addition of a killer band injected screams and shredding guitar into Mulherin’s performance. Regardless, plenty of people in the now packed room were there for nothing,nowhere and showed that love on older songs like “dread” and the cocksure “hammer”.
Wage War has some serious fans in Arizona and they pushed closer to the barricade as the band’s intro recording announced their arrival. Once again, the circle pit emerged in the center and fans two-stepped, moshed and banged their heads to “Indestructible” and “Slow Burn”.
Their consistency in every show keeps fans coming back for more and we’re confident that no one left disappointed. As much as the fans demanded of the band, they wanted just as much from us and raged through 17 songs before making their exit. The clamor for more brought them back out for more strobes, more bangers and a satisfying conclusion to a riotous show.
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Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
