The Word Alive and Not Enough Space Light Up New York’s Gramercy Theatre
On August 1, The Word Alive’s bought its anniversary tour for the Deceiver and Dark Matter albums to Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Joining them on this run were Not Enough Space, Downswing and Code:Words, three solid openers that metalcore and heavy music fans have been speaking highly of.
While it wasn’t quite as dramatic as Nolan’s Odyssey, it definitely felt like its own saga, as I endured muggy weather, late trains, NYC tourists, and even my audio gear not working right as I sat down with a pre-show interview with Not Enough Space. But I have learned that if this many things go sideways before doors, the night almost always turns into a banger once the house lights drop. And it absolutely was a rager!
CODE:WORDS
Opening the night was Code:Words. One of the the city’s mosh pit regulars was already hyping the early crowd up as the lights dropped, and sure enough he was the first body up and over our heads. The band fought through a couple of tech squeals early on and had a traffic jams swapping spots across the stage, though it didn’t take much away from their set. The crowd was still light this early on. Being such a solid opener, it makes you hope that other stops on the tour gave them the energy and exposure they've earned.
DOWNSWING
Next up was Albany-based Downswing. Over the past year of building out the RØKKR community, their name has come up more than once. I even had a friend hit me up asking for pics of their merch table, because they knew I'd be there. Always on assignment, lmao.
Downswing leans a lot heavier, and they know exactly how to stir a pit up. One member launched off the risers into a split kick and later climbed one of the stacks to get the crowd going. The room still hadn't filled in yet, which can go both ways for moshers. It’s more space to thrash around, but also more chances for those near the edges to catch a few strays. Downswing is easily one of the bands I intend to catch more of, whether behind the camera or from the crowd.
NOT ENOUGH SPACE
Not Enough Space took the stage and delivered a set that more than met my expectations. I have been trying to catch live this Florida band for a while now, especially after coming highly recommended by RØKKR’s Reno contributor, who saw them earlier this year when they were touring with Dark Divine.
The band is fronted by two impressive vocalists, Lizzie and Liv. But as the band pointed out in our interview a few hours earlier, they pride themselves on how well they vibe together. And that synergy was felt during their set. They stayed locked into the crowd’s energy and you could almost see them enter that flow state where everything clicks, just a couple songs into their set.
THE WORD ALIVE
The house finally filled in for The Word Alive’s set and I began to see more familiar faces, including SAGE, the New Jersey locals who just played Irving Plaza for Summer School.
After I put my camera away, I stayed to the back of the room and took the whole scene in. Even caught myself headbanging with one of those metal stank faces. You know the one. The furrowed brow and forced frown that actually is a sign of approval that the band is going that hard. Most notable in their performance was the band’s enthusiasm to be in front of fans celebrating the milestones of two of their albums. From Telle Smith leaning into screams and fist bumping crowd surfers to the expressions on Devin Attard’s face from behind the drum kit.
Honestly the night only really lacked one thing, and that was more people in the room. This was a show the New York crowd slept on, even for smaller venue. But the beauty of a four-band lineup is that one of these bands will be back through with even more friends on the next run.
Don’t sleep on them twice!
