On Sunday, St. Pete went to church. It wasn’t your typical buttoned up Sunday service, but one fitted with a glowing neon cross and a sermon led by a man dressed in white. On June 9th, Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida served as the venue for the final night of the tour celebrating Knocked Loose’s newest release You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. They garnered support from three other bands: Speed, Show Me The Body, and Loathe.
Opening the show was Speed, a hardcore band from Sydney, Australia. You would have thought that it was the first night of the tour and not the last with the way this band came out swinging (and two-stepping). With a packed 10 song setlist, Speed gave a complete picture of their discography in their 30 minute set. Their most anticipated song “THE FIRST TEST” was placed last on the setlist and had the crowd moving for the entirety of the two minute and thirteen second song, ending of course with the iconic flute solos.
When you think of a hardcore show, a banjo doesn’t usually come to mind, but Julian Pratt knows how to make it work. Show Me The Body is a three piece hardcore punk band from New York City who’s stage presence draws you in immediately. Whether you are watching Pratt rip on a banjo, Harlan Steel moving between keyboard and guitar, or their drummer Jackie McDermott snap sticks you are in for a treat that is pure NYC Punk.
Loathe was a refined break from the prior two hardcore openers. The metal band from Liverpool was welcomed with open arms, the crowd energy matching that of what was to come for the headliner. Their slower pace four minute songs are a stark contrast to the upbeat two minute ones from the prior openers, but were welcomed by the crowd nonetheless. The melodramatic, Deftones-esque vibe gave the crowd reprieve before Knocked Loose took the stage.
It would have been blasphemous to not say that seeing Knocked Loose is a religious experience. From a blacked out stage, to a neon cross illuminating, setting a soft glow as the instrumental to “Blinding Faith” echoed softly through the speakers. I don’t truly know how to describe it, but the sense of calm was overwhelming.
Then, hell broke loose.
Not even twenty seconds into the first song, crowd surfers were flying over the barricade, which was a continual habit the rest of the show, the crowd almost seeming fluid as Bryan Garris and Knocked Loose lead the congregation into madness. Despite this being a tour to celebrate their newest album, only three songs made it to the set-list: “Blinding Faith”, “Suffocate”, and “Don’t Reach For Me”. I believe this was intentional though, a celebration of the past of Knocked Loose before they ring in the future of the band, one that we know is so bright. Old and New fans coming together to celebrate a band that has shaken the metal scene and pushed boundaries for years. They wound down the set with a dedication of “Deep in the Willow” to the bands who they shared the stage with for thirty shows. It was fitting that they ended the night with “Everything is Quiet Now”, allowing the crowd to now sit in silence as the band played out the final instrumentals of the song, like a church service allowing their fans to reflect on what they had just witnessed, and that is Knocked Loose.
