Movements at The Torch LA: A Decade in the Making

Movements closed out the third leg of their North American tour last Sunday, with an unforgettable show at The Torch in Los Angeles. The night had everything you could want from a final stop — charged performances, emotional moments, chaos in the pit, and the kind of gratitude that reminds you why live music still matters. With support from Downward, Scowl, and Citizen, the show brought together a lineup that was as eclectic as it was cohesive.

Downward opened the night, bringing a laid-back but excited vibe that set the tone. The Oklahoma-based band has been on tour with Scowl, Citizen, and Movements for the past six weeks — marking their longest tour yet. They expressed how thankful they were to be part of the run, shouting out Movements for the opportunity and giving a nod to Scowl for “letting us use your shit.” It was a short but solid start that showed how stoked they were just to be up there.

Then came Scowl — and wow. If the crowd wasn’t fully immersed before, they were now. Fronted by the incredible Kat Moss, Scowl tore through their set with a kind of fury that felt both intentional and totally unfiltered. Kat’s stage presence was magnetic, commanding the crowd with ease and intensity. Personally, I got major Amyl and the Sniffers vibes from the way she held the stage, but Scowl’s sound is significantly harder — which instantly drew me to them. The Santa Cruz-based band pulled heavily from their brand-new album Are We All Angels, which dropped just two days before the show. Songs like “Special” and “B.A.B.E.” came straight from that new record, while others like “Bloodhound” and “Fuck Around” (both from earlier releases) added extra grit to the set. The whole band — Cole Gilbert on drums, Malachi Greene and Mikey Bifloco on guitars, and Bailey Lupo on bass — were completely in sync, playing with a unified energy. Their sound was tight, powerful, and loud in all the best ways, and it was clear they gave everything they had to the performance. Scowl definitely made their mark.

Next up was Citizen, and their set felt less like an opener and more like a co-headliner. The crowd was fully engaged — singing every word, jumping in unison, and sending an endless stream of crowd surfers over the barricade. It was total chaos, and everyone was loving it. Their setlist featured a solid blend of works from their entire repertoire, including “The Night I Drove Alone,” “Hyper Trophy,” “Sleep,” “Dogs,” “I Want to Kill You,” and more. Vocalist Mat Kerekes, along with Nick Hamm (guitar), Eric Hamm (bass), Ben Russin (drums), and Mason Mercer (rhythm guitar), brought the kind of energy that built momentum and kept it going. It was the perfect lead-in to what would be a massive closing set from Movements.

By the time Movements took the stage, the excitement was through the roof — or lack thereof. Frontman Patrick Miranda made it clear from the beginning that this wasn’t just another show — it was the last show of what he said was “easily the best tour we’ve ever played.” The band — rounded out by Austin Cressey on bass, Spencer York on drums, and Ira George on lead guitar—sounded connected and emotionally locked in from start to finish.

Their 17-song setlist was a journey through every era of their discography, kicking off with “Afraid to Die” and flowing into tracks like “Lead Pipe,” “Fail You,” “Full Circle,” “Colorblind,” and “Skin to Skin.” Songs like “Kept,” “Love Took the Last of It,” and “No Good Left to Give” carried their usual emotional weight, but live, they felt even more powerful, hitting harder with the crowd’s undying energy.

One of the biggest crowd reactions of the night came during “I Hope You Choke,” when a massive pit opened and Miranda yelled, “If someone falls, you pick them up — 1, 2, 3, I HOPE YOU CHOKE!” The energy was wild. But Movements knows how to control the tempo of a room—they followed it up with a slower song that brought everything back down to a quiet simmer, letting the emotional side of their sound breathe once again.

Beyond just the performance, what stood out most was how deeply appreciative Movements is. I’ve never seen a band go so out of their way to recognize the people around them. They shouted out every single person behind the scenes — Ryan at front of house (“he’s the reason you can hear me”), Olivia and Corrine on lights (“did you see all the crazy shit the lights have been doing?”), their guitar tech Frankie (“running across the stage fixing everything”), and their very talented photographer, Anthony. It wasn’t just routine thank-yous — it was thoughtful. You could tell they don’t take any of this for granted.

Miranda also made sure to show love to Downward, Scowl, and Citizen multiple times throughout the set. When referring to Scowl, he called them “undeniable” and “impossible to ignore,” clearly emphasizing their impact. He also shared how much Citizen means to him personally, saying they’ve been one of his favorite bands since high school. He implied that if the crowd wasn’t already a fan of the opening bands, he hoped they would leave the show as fans. It’s obvious how much Movements values the scene they’re part of, and they go out of their way to uplift the people in it.

Before the final song, Miranda let the crowd in on some big news: this would be the band’s last show for a while. They’re stepping back to write a new record, but promised they’ll be back when there’s something new to share. That made “Daylily” hit with even more weight. As the final notes rang out, the crowd gave them everything they had left, and Movements did the same in return.

All in all, this wasn’t just a tour closer — it was a celebration of how far the band has come over the last ten years. They made it known that never in their wildest dreams did they think they’d be doing something this big. Movements didn’t just play a show at The Torch — they lit it up.

We’d like to thank Movements for having us out for this monumental occasion!