I absolutely adore Title Fight. Next to Joyce Manor, they’re the best in their scene. They’re considered everything from post-hardcore to hardcore punk to melodic hardcore to punk rock. Regardless, they’re phenomenal. They formed in 2003, with only the Russin twins and Jamie Rhoden, and it snowballed from there. Ever since, they’ve had countless EPs, two full length studio albums, played both the Reading and Leeds festival in the UK, and toured with big bands like Bayside, Four Year Strong, Transit, and New Found Glory. If anything, they’re not a force to be reckoned with.
The band played a 10 year anniversary show in Pennsylvania, their home state. The entire show was recorded and put on YouTube in a chronological playlist. As soon as I found this out, I hopped on the internet and went to go watch it. I had seen them with Balance and Composure a while ago and it was a fantastic show that solidified my love for their music. In the video, you can tell the venue is packed, and it was brilliant of them to open with “Room 200”, a tune off their 2009 EP “The Last Thing You Forget”. The heavy fast bass-driven blast of energy was enough to revv up the crowd and get them climbing over each other and rushing the stage, just like any good TF show should be.
“Numb, But I Still Feel It” is always great live, and the footage of it from this show just blew me away. The crowdsurfing and yelling the lyrics just warmed my heart; the lyrics are to be taken to heart and held close- “but did you know, I hold my breath through every tunnel? Wish I could get over this feeling of slipping under..I never get that far.”
One song of theirs that always hits real hard is “Secret Society”. “I made promises that I can’t keep, I fell asleep. I was the one who locked the door- I lost the key” opens up the powerful and emotional tune. Jamie’s passion is incredible, and I love how he doesn’t even have to be singing because everyone else is doing it for him. It looks, it feels, it *is* a punk show, and that’s what this band has brought back into the world, with the help of others like them- that classic punk sense of a show community.
And, speaking of punk, they covered “Minor Threat”, and I swear if the video footage was in grainy black and white, you’d think these were kids who were opening up for Minor Threat and paying them homage. The audience is on the stage with the band and the slamdancing and the fast paced desperate energy is fascinating and captivating.
The band ended the show with “27”, a beautiful yet sad song- “If I said your name 27 times, would that bring you back to life? Do you remember your lucky number? Your superstition has me buried six feet under.” This was it, the final chance to join the band on stage or to give it your all, and the crowd did that and more. I wasn’t even there and I got emotional watching it. The sentiment that Jamie spoke at the end of it was pretty deep- “Take care of one another.”
Title Fight is playing in the wrong decade, but thank god we have them now because they’re what is keeping punk alive.