Having never been to The Space in Hamden, CT, I didn't realize exactly what I was in for, and it almost seemed as though everyone else could see it on my face as I headed down into the lower level of the venue. The sight of the crowd that had amassed around the small stage at the far end of the room stood as proof of the conjoined anticipation for the night's line-up. To the surprise of many, the show had actually sold out in advance, predictably leaving several kids scrambling over unwanted tickets. The opening band, Sirs, began their set shortly after I arrived and left me amazed when I found myself experiencing something I had never felt before–actual enjoyment from an opener. Although I was not familiar with them prior to the show, they definitely did a great job at setting the mood for the rest of the night.
Next up was the Willimantic, CT based The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die. Where I felt out of place during Sirs, I found myself at home in The World Is…'s set. Why? I don't entirely know. Similarly to Sirs, I wasn't aware of their existence before the show but for some reason I was more comfortable just standing in the crowd and simply appreciated it. The crowd especially came alive during one of their latter songs, "I Will Be Okay. Everything", which had the whole crowd chanting in resonance. Unfortunately, about halfway through their set, the guitarist Chris Teti had an accident involving his head and bandmate Derrick Shanholtzer-Dvorak's guitar which not only sent Teti to the hospital but also cut their set short despite their choice to continue on as a five-piece for a while afterwards.
It was clear that as the show neared it's final acts that the crowd grew more restless and I with it. Algernon Cadwallader took the stage shortly afterwards and that's when The Space really came to life for me. The cramped crowd-space, the low ceiling–the proximity to the band was more than enough to get me amped. They opened with "Spit Fountain", followed later by my personal favorite, "Some Kind of Cadwallader". Although I'm not Algernon's biggest fan, these songs alone were enough to allow me to enjoy the experience.
As soon as Algernon finished their set, the crowd dispersed to drink up what remained of The Space's supply of bottled water. Not surprisingly, they just as quickly began to thicken again in anticipation for Joyce Manor's set up. It seemed like mere seconds before they we were all singing along to "Call Out (Laundry)". The highlights of my night were definitely "Leather Jacket" and "Constant Headache", during which lead vocalist Barry Johnson backed away from the mic entirely, during which I death-gripped it and sang the latter half of the song. The front of the crowd had it the worst as we tried to hold our ground in the front, but time and time again I saw people around me go down to the floor only to be picked up again. After the opener Johnson remarked, "So this is your first show, huh?". The comment came off a bit barbed, but I can't imagine we could've been taken very seriously falling over each other the way we were. Before long, I made my retreat to the back of the room. Content and utterly destroyed both internally and externally from the lack of a proper dinner, shortness of breath and relentless thrashing of the crowd behind me, I was forced to sit the rest of the set out and appreciate it all from a far. My experience at the front would have to suffice because for just a little while, I was a member of Joyce Manor.