Written by Cheyenne Davey
The Wrecks brought their killer show with The Orphan The Poet and The Stolen came to The House Cafe in DeKalb, IL on June 4, 2018. This show was absolutely incredible. Everything from the town and the weather, to the venue to the show was just incredible. Let me start by giving a quick shout out to the venue. If you live in the DeKalb area or plan on going there soon, please visit The House Cafe! This place could not have been a better venue. It's also a cafe (if you couldn't tell from the name) and the owner let us essentially loiter in his cafe. He let us charge our phones and go to the bathroom and just hang out in AC since it was hot. Wowie! I adored the place. Oftentimes venues don't care if you die of dehydration in the heat or freeze to death in the cold, but this place was unbelievably kind to us. The owner was nice and talked to us for a bit. We even bought some food and it was good. Reminds me of a cafe near my hometown, but amazing nonetheless. It was very homey. If I was in the area, I think I'd come here every single day, it was that nice. So, if you're in the area, visit this place!
Okay, now that I'm done gushing about the venue, let's talk about the actual show. The show itself was amazing. There was so much energy for all the acts. The bands were clearly loving what they do and enjoying themselves, which always makes it more fun to watch. It was an intense and wonderful show. I don't think I've sweat that much in my life, it was that insane. It sold over capacity to my knowledge, which is around 200+ people. Each act hyped you up more. There wasn't much of a break in energy. I personally just can't get over the show. I haven't had that much fun in a while. However; as great as the actual performances were, I think afterwards was the best part. After all the acts performed, we all just hung out. The bands were chilling out with the crowd and talking. It didn't feel like a concert at that point, it felt more like a small house party. It had that feeling as if you had a bonfire going in the backyard, we haven't seen each other in a little while, and there's just good vibes all around. That's what it felt like; the stereotypical house parties you see on TV. I fell in love with all the bands there that night, the way they made you feel like old friends, or even family, was surreal. I don't think I can ever feel that with any other bands. If there's one thing you take from this article, it's that you should see these bands not only for their amazing performances and energy, but also to feel like family.
The Stolen
The Stolen is an alt-rock band from Old Bridge, New Jersey. The band consists of Dominick Cuce (vocals), Rob Chiarappa (guitar and keys), Kevin Smart (drums), and Mike Chiarappa (bass). They were the first act to come on, and first acts are usually tough. They try hard to hype up the crowd and get us ready for the main act. It's hit or miss on whether they can hype you up. The Stolen hit us with the hype. Before the show, I vaguely listened to their music. I wasn't expecting much in all honesty. Their music seemed calmer, or at least the few that I heard. But they didn't let that keep them from having amazing energy and hyping us up. I loved their set. As they played, my friend and I would turn to each other and say that each song was a bop, which is true. The bops only increased. The final song was their single Overboard, and it was probably the most hype song of their set. This was one I actually kind of knew, so getting to sing along was great. By the end of their set, I was definitely hyped up. So, they did their job of playing kick-ass music, hyping us up, and gaining another fan. If you want to see these amazing guys, they're going on tour with Milkk this summer. Catch me at the Chicago date on July 18 (my birthday). What better way to spend a birthday than seeing a super awesome band like The Stolen?
The Orphan The Poet
Second to play was The Orphan The Poet. It's absolutely no secret that I completely adore this band. The Orphan The Poet is from Columbus, Ohio and consists of David Eselgroth (vocals), Jake Floyd (bass), Sam Gordon (drums), and Ty Bush (guitar). Let me just say, their set was spicy. I love seeing them live. The band makes it a point to involve the crowd by having the crowd learn certain parts of songs to repeat and even bringing up people to sing Sk8er Boi with them. One of my favorite things a band can do is to involve the fans in their set in some way. To me, it creates a sort of connection with the band, and The Orphan The Poet is wonderful at creating a connection. They're so full of energy. After every show, I always ask myself how in the world one person can have as much energy as they do. David, Ty, and Jake all bounce around the stage and it's thoroughly entertaining to watch. From shows alone, The Orphan The Poet have quickly become a favorite band of mine. They never let me down with their act and it brings me back every time. This night was no different, despite having some technical difficulties at first. They managed to keep the crowd hyped. I haven't gone that hard at a show in a while (I actually almost lost my glasses), nor have I sweat so much. These boys have quickly captured my heart and I'm sure they'll capture yours as well. If you ever want to befriend a dope as band and feel like a family, The Orphan The Poet is the band you're looking for. They truly make me feel like I'm a part of a family and it is an incredible feeling. So, if you want to join The Hive, catch The Orphan The Poet at a show near you this fall with The Score. I 100% recommend going out and seeing them. They will never fail to put on a spectacular performance and make you feel at home.
The Wrecks
Last was The Wrecks, who closed out the night with a bang. The band is based in Los Angeles and consists of Nick Anderson (vocals), Billy Nally (drums), Aaron Kelley (bass), Westen Weiss (guitar and keys), and Nick Schmidt (guitar). Even though The Wrecks was the main act, I knew very little from them prior to the show. I know, odd. Though, from what I knew, I was not expecting the show to be that wild. I was completely thrown back by the energy from not only the band, but also the crowd. There were crowd surfers and mosh pits going on, and the crowd was so wild you could feel the heat from them outside. It was surely intense. I was just shocked to see such a rowdy crowd, something I don't usually see at small shows. Which attests to how wonderful The Wrecks are. I haven't been to too many smaller shows where the crowd has ever acted like that. Even from the back, and as someone who didn't know too much about The Wrecks, I was getting extremely into the set. I was so close to throwing myself into the mosh pit, it was that great. I came in without knowing much from The Wrecks and came out a fan. I haven't stopped listening to them since the show. I even dance to and hum the songs at work, it's gotten to that point. They definitely know how to put on a spectacular performance, one that gets the crowd rowdy. The Wrecks are taking a mini break to write some music currently, but as soon as they release new music and go on tour again, you can bet I will be there. Until then, definitely give this band a listen and let me know what you think!
Overall, the show was explosive. The performances themselves were something to remember. I'm so thankful that I went to this show and got to experience this. Like I've said probably a million times in this article, the energy! Man, that energy is something else. This was definitely a favorite show of mine and I'll for sure return to see these bands again.
Cheyenne Davey
Show rating: 20/10
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