Knocked Loose

The Acacia Strain

Harms Way

Higher Power

Sanction

Lifes Question

Founded 2013 in Oldham County, Kentucky, hardcore punk band Knocked Loose announced
their second headlining tour in January 2019. The band took to social media and stated “The start of
something new” when sharing the flyer for their spring 2019 tour with support acts The Acacia Strain,
Harms Way, Sanction and Higher Power.

The Castle Theatre in Bloomington, Illinois held the third date of tour. As the line began to grow
security started addressing all show goers that there would be no moshing, no stage diving and no
crowd surfing. Security went on to explain that if caught doing any of those three prohibited activities it
would result in immediate removal of the venue. There were several whispers rolling down the line of
attendees from hardcore dads to the angsty youths accompanying them. Moshing, stage diving and
crowd surfing are common for the scene of this tour so inevitably show goers were clearly on edge with
the venue.

When walking into the venue you were greeted by the band’s merch tables and welcoming
faces. The ceiling was lower in the main entrance however, when walking into the main room you are
overwhelmed by the beautiful structure and open stage. The only downfall was the railing, which
continued down the span of the standing room. With no barrier between the stage and crowd, I found a
spot stage left and stood my ground. Security began placing themselves stage right and stage left with a
few strategically placed throughout the main room.

Local band Life’s Question opened the show in a fitting style of hardcore and punk tones that fit
immensely well with the touring acts energy and overall sound. Fans immediately started feeling the
energy, if you happened to have been close to the stage, you ended up pinched between the stage and
bodies slamming against you. Sanction was on after the local support also signed to Pure Noise Records
like Knocked Loose. Coming from Long Island, New York, Sanction brought metal and hardcore roots to
the stage. Some attendees had said that the band deserved a bigger crowd than they had. Higher power
from Leeds, UK was up next, you immediately notice vocalist J Town’s green hair for this tour. Their
slogan “For the moshers by the moshers” definitely describes how their set unfolded. Their unique style
of hardcore got the crowd moving and I felt a few blows to the back by the show goers pushing through
to get closer to the stage to scream along. During Harms way’s performance, a fan jumped on stage
from stage left and stage dove off stage right. The fans went crazy for Harm’s way while pounding on
the stage and screaming with vocalist James Pligge. Similar to their early days as a band they brought a
more powerviolence reaction out of the crowd.

After another break, the venue got slightly dark and you saw a shadowy figure appear in the
doorway stage right, at a second glance, the immense height was a giveaway that it was Vocalist Vincent
Bennett of The Acacia Strain. As soon as he emerged, the beat downs and slam dancing commenced and
everyone center stage bit the dust. The band delivered a heavy hitting energy set with show goers
disobeying rules set down by security. Several mini mosh pits began surfacing throughout the crowd.
During their popular song The Beast fan, Charlie Shields boosted himself onto the stage from my
shoulder and another photographer’s shoulder. Vincent handed him the mic and allowed him to guest
for a good chunk of the song. The crowd acted as if they were on steroids, The Acacia Strain definitely
left a heavy impression on them.

The anticipation was over for the room of fans as Knocked Loose appeared on stage. As soon as
you heard the cymbals crash and Bryan Garris’s harsh style of vocals start the crowd was overwhelmed,
as the room started moving and the aggression built up from the support acts released instantly. If there
was a specific time to use the Ralph chuckling “I’m in danger” meme it was during this set. With the
recent release of Mistakes like Fractures Garris welcomed all fans that knew the lyrics already to scream
along with him. The venue filled with voices belting out the lyrics to the new song, it was a truly
remarkable experience. The band performed a thirteen-song set with fan favorites like Oblivians Peak,
Deadringer and Billy No Mates. The mixture of Garris’s vocal style paired with deep backup vocals from
Hales and Crutchfield makes a unique vocal style that resonates with fans. The band closed the set with
Billy No Mates as the crowd all put their hands up with Garris. The band left the stage as the fans began
the chant of “one more song” after a few moments the band returned to the stage, as the heavy guitar
riffs and deep bass tones began to fill the room Garris announced he wanted everyone on the stage with
him and to stage dive. The look on security’s face was priceless. Fans recounted that they saw security
from outside run into the venue after hearing Garris’s announcement. The fan involvement was intense
and a remarkable sight. Bodies flying in every direction as all the fans were ARF-ARFing along with Garris
during the encore of Counting Worms. The show ended in chaotic carnage, I am not new to this scene
however, the positive energy and acceptance I witnessed from Knocked Loose fans was an incredible
experience.