Wednesday night at The Fillmore Silver Spring felt like a love letter to alternative music with a lineup of four incredible yet unique artists. California-based post-hardcore band Movements brought their Happier Now USA Tour through Maryland with support from Niis, Midrift, and Balance and Composure. Although the bands celebrated the spectrum of alternative music differently, they shared the ability to make the room feel every word of the songs they played.
Female-fronted Los Angeles band Niis opened the night with songs celebrating liberation and empowerment through a sound that blends punk, hardcore, lo-fi garage, and early grunge. Niis brought a rougher, more chaotic energy to the bill, starting the evening off on an energetic and powerful note. Their performance was a great reminder that a lineup doesn’t necessarily need to stay in one lane and there is beauty to having a heavier band open for more melodic ones to follow.
Midrift shifted the room’s energy with music that was more atmospheric, carrying shoegaze textures, dreamy guitars, and hazy melodies. As a younger band, they carried a fresh perspective, giving a glimpse into the future of alternative music.
Balance and Composure wove a sense of familiarity into the evening. As a band whose influence has taken root in modern alternative and emo, their set provided a sort of homebase as Movements acted as a bridge between the influence and the influenced. Balance and Composure is a band that Movements has been inspired by and has supported in their own tours. Seeing the band come back to support Movements on this tour was really special.
Opening with “Back in My Ways,” Movements played a mix of songs off of their newest album Happier Now, including “Live By the Sword,” “Dissolve Me,” and “Pulse.” Additionally, they drew from older albums in their discography, including fan favorites off of Feel Something and No Good Left to Give. Although their recorded versions are fantastic, Movements sounded even better live. They kept their songs recognizable while frontman Patrick Miranda took occasional liberties to option up on certain lines or to drop back and let the audience take the lead in singing. As a band that has been playing shows since before they were even allowed to be in 21+ venues, you can clearly see that their passion for and connection with the music runs deep. The band has always been emotionally vulnerable but there’s something extra special about singing “Daylily” with around 2,000 other fans as people crowd surf above your head.
Movements continues to welcome fans into their personal feelings, putting complicated emotions into words and sharing them with audiences who feel. The evening was incredibly cathartic and standing in a room full of strangers, you felt connected; you felt like in some small way you were seen, heard, and understood.