How many times have you been to a concert and discovered a new band, went home and just fell in love with their entire discography. You’re now stuck in your room playing their music on repeat and hating yourself for not appreciating their performance as much as you should have as you just didn’t truly know how good they were. As the music loops in your headphones, you keep refreshing your social media feed waiting for the band to announce their next tour so you can go and give them all the love they deserved the first time you saw them. This happened to me for The Plot in You and Holding Absence when I got to see them two years ago when they toured together. Well, the music gods were looking out for me when The Plot in You finally announced their next tour, and bringing with them on support was again Holding Absence, along with Boundaries and Acres. Their stop at the House of Blues, Anaheim sold out quickly, but I was fortunate enough to squeeze myself into the crowd for a night of vicious metalcore greatness.
Opening the night was a band helming from the UK known as Acres. Kicking the show off with their song “A Different Shade of Misery,” the band was ready to get the crowd moving. Vocalist Ben Lumber is able to float between melodic clean vocals to in your face ear bursting screams. While guitarist Alex Freeman layered the crunchy sound of his guitar into the mix. Bassist Jack Rogers and drummer Parker Adsit are in tandem blasting the crowd with a beat that gets the moshers moving. It didn’t take long into Acres’ set before the crowd surfers started crashing over the barricade to songs like “Lost,” “Into Flames,” “Nothing.,” “Bloodlust,” and ending with “Leave You to Rot.” Acres sufficiently warmed up the crowd, and we were eager to let loose to what was to come next.
Up next was Boundaries who brought an even heavier sound to the House of Blues with their opening song “Turn Hate Into Rage.” Within moments guitarists Cory Edmon and Cody DelVecchio were playing face melting riffs that got the blood flowing in every person. The moshers couldn’t wait to unleash their rage, smashing into the crowd turning the venue into a furious sea of crashing waves. But the danger was amplified any time drummer Tim Sullivan would lay into his China cymbal, letting out the call to utterly kill someone in the pit. All the while vocalist Matthew McDougal was screaming the lyrics with a fiery intensity of a hardcore vocalist. Boundaries kept this energy up with songs like “Darkness Shared,” “My Body is a Case,” “Is Survived By,” “Cursed to Remember,” “I’d Rather Not Say,” “A Pale Light Lingers,” “Inhale the Grief,” and ending with “Easily Erased.” If we were at a smaller venue, Boundaries would be the perfect atmosphere for stage divers to be flying through the skies every moment of the show.
Following Boundaries was Holding Absence, who I have been rocking out to consistently since I first saw them two years ago. Vocalist Lucas Woodland performs with a charisma and smile that is just infectious. The man appears as positivity embodied and fans can’t help but sing along with every word he says. At one point a crowd surfer came over the barricade, and the security slipped catching them. The security made sure she was alright, but Lucas also ran to the front of the stage to check and make sure she was ok. Showing his love and concern for his fans. Guitarist Scott Carey is an enigma on stage, as he manages to write some of the catchiest melodies for the night. But it’s when he adds his harsh guttural screams to the songs that you truly get blown away. Bassist Benjamin Elliott carries himself like a suave gentleman on stage. Rocking out and losing himself in the music, but still carrying an air of James Bond energy to him. Holding Absence thrilled and delighted the audience with songs like “Aching Longing,” “Gravity,” “Like a Shadow,” “Her Wings,” “Nomoreroses,” “A Crooked Melody,” “Afterlife,” and ending with “The Angel in the Marble.” Getting to see them this time, I didn’t let the experience get lost on me as I took in every moment with the rest of the fans.
While we waited for our headliners to take the stage, and old timey radio player sat at the front of the stage playing some golden oldies, before cutting out and an overture to “Don’t Look Away” took over the sound system. The Plot in You finally took the stage, and the crowd exploded. Within moments crowd surfers were already coming over the barricade. Vocalist Landon Tewers continued to call out that he wanted more crowd surfers, and specifically if you have never crowd surfed before to get up in the air. Guitarist John Childress manipulates his tone to have a heavy feeling along with a bit of electronic flare. Bassist Ethan Yoder and drummer Michael Cooper are locked in together as the rhythm section that let the crowd get lost in a flurry of energy.
For as heavy as The Plot in You is, something they can do that stands out to me is that they know how to slow down a song with the likes of “Left Behind” and “Closure.” The crowd can take these moments to vibe to the music and connect on an emotional level with the band. But it was with their heavier songs that The Plot in You got the House of Blues moving in a craze like I’ve never seen before. To songs like “Divide,” ‘Pretend,” “Paradigm,” “THE ONE YOU LOVED,” “Crows,” “Face Me,” “Been Here Before,” “Forgotten.” “Spare Me,” “All That I can Give,” “Time Changes Everything,” “DISPOSABLE FIX,” and ending with “FEEL NOTHING.”
As the house lights came back on and everyone looked around the room, there wasn’t a person not smiling in the crowd. Getting a release of energy was something every person in this crowd needed, and they gave everything to each band. For a few hours nothing else mattered as we lived in the moment of the show. Cherishing each song, and every second we got to spend with the bands that we love.
GALLERY: The Plot In You with Holding Absence, Boundaries and Acres at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA (February 22, 2025)
